Operation: Santa Paws, A Kitsmas Hiest
by JoeyJoBobJunior
Summary: Comedy! Action! Romance! Musical Numbers! It's Kitsmas time in Zootopia and Nick Wilde has a few days off from the police academy to hang out with his best buds, Judy and Finnick. But when Khan Industries crooked toy drive comes to town, Nick makes it his mission to make sure the orphans get the best toys possible. But will Judy risk her career(and possibly jail) to help the needy?
1. Chapter 1: Tarred and Feathered

Chapter 1: "Tarred and Feathered"

 **A/N Everything in this story happens almost a year before the events in my other Zootopia stories, but will be canon with them. So any new readers will have no trouble jumping in while my followers may see a familiar face or two. Enjoy!**

" **Tarred and Feathered" is a parody of the song "Sleigh ride together". New lyrics by...me!**

 **December 23rd, 8:30am**

Judy Hopps waited outside in front of the ZPD academy. She could see the fog coming off her breath from the cold, winter air. It was late December and even Zootopia's different mammal-made eco-climates couldn't stop winter from arriving. The only districts spared were Sahara Square thanks to a giant heater system that kicks in every year and has pipes around it that warm the water that goes off in the sprinklers in the rainforest district. Outside of that, Savannah Central and downtown isn't too different from Tundra Town this time of year.

Judy wasn't shivering too bad as she had a nice, thick jacket on that covered her quite well. Plus, her winter coat had come in and also helped keep her warm and toasty.

She was waiting for a friend. Her best friend in the city, Nick Wilde. The two had recently stopped a mad scheme by the predator-hating Dawn Bellwether who tried to turn the city against all predators. Nick was to be her future partner and was in his last weeks of training. However, it was Kitsmas time and even the hard working students at the academy get a few days off for vacation.

She then heard a deep voice. "Yo!"

She looked around but couldn't find where the voice was coming from. "Down here officer 'Toot-Toot!' "

She looked down and her big, violet eyes spotted a tiny, fennec fox in a thick, winter jacket. It was Nick's long time friend, Finnick.

"Oh! Hey Finn!" Judy said with a smile.

"Finnick" He replied back. "We ain't that familiar toots!" Finnick never cared for Judy much. Her dumb explanation for why the predators were going savage brought nothing but grief for him and Nick for those months she was gone. When she did come back, Nick ended up joining her and is now at the police academy. No time for his old friend anymore. Will he be different now that they're on opposite sides of the law? As soon as Judy came back to Zootopia, it was like Nick had disappeared from his life completely and doing cons without his wingman had proven tough. Very tough.

The situation was now a bit awkward. Judy tried to make small talk. "So...you here to see Nick too?"

"Yup." Was the only reply she got back.

Thankfully, the awkwardness would not last long as they both spotted a red-furred fox walking out the academy doors.

"Nick!" Judy shouted as she ran over and hugged her best friend.

"Hey Carrots!" Nick replied. "Long time, no see!

"Too long! She replied back. She then pointed over to Finnick. "Finn, I mean, Finnick's here too!"

"Hey Finn! Nick replied, but all he got out of Finnick was laughter and pointing. "What's your problem?"

Finnick could hardly contain himself. "Your.. _.Hee-Hee!_...Your coat dude! You didn't get it trimmed!"

Judy stood back and couldn't help but laugh herself. " _HAHAHAA_ Oh my gosh Nick! You're so...so...floofy!"

Nick's winter jacket couldn't hide the crazy amount of fur that had grown on him during the last few weeks. They could barely see his face through the thick fur. "Har! Har! Our academy barber got to go on vacation three weeks early! I got stuck looking like this. I wouldn't laugh Carrots. Your fluffy coat makes you look as chubby as your mom!"

She gave him a dirty look. "I happen to think my mother's quite beautiful! Are you saying she's fat and unattractive?!"

Nick backed off. "No, No, Fluff! From those photos you've shown me, I think your mom's ho-errr..quite cu-...very pretty!"

"Nice save." Finnick replied.

"Quiet Junior. Does anyone know where I can get my fur trimmed?"

"There's 'Hairy Shearer's' down on fourth street." Finnick replied.

"That's our next stop then." Nick replied. He then turned his attention to Judy. "I gotta hand it to ya fluff, you ARE a real cop through and through! The physical training has been brutal! However, I've been successful by using my brains more than my brawn."

"Have you been able to beat Rhinowitz in sparring?" Judy asked.

"Let's just say I used my wits against Witz." Nick replied.

 **Two months earlier...**

Nick was in the sparring ring with officer Rhinowitz and ready to go. He was nervous, but he had a plan.

"Listen up, Devil-Fur!" Major Freidkin shouted from outside the ring. "You got just one shot at beating Rhinowitz here! The rules are real simple. Knock him out and you pass! Got it?!"

"That's all?" Nick replied with a smirk.

"That's all?!" Friedkin snarled back. "Don't get cocky you tiny mammal! You're dealing with a rhino! Dang near indestructible!"

"We'll see." Nick replied as he stared down his opponent.

The bell went. Rhinowitz was waiting for nick to make the first move.

" _Clap off!"_ Nick sang as he clapped twice. The lights went out in the room and only then did Friedkin notice that the shutters were closed so no light was getting in.

Rhinowitz was blinded. "Hey! Where'd he go?!" He then felt something leap on the back of his neck while a damp towel covered his mouth. "RRMPH! MRRPH!" Was all he got out before losing consciousness

Friedkin ran to the light switch and flipped the lights back on. She then unplugged the clapper Nick had installed. There, in the middle of the ring was Nick standing above a knocked out Rhinowitz. "What did you do?!" She shouted.

"I used my night vision advantage and knocked him out!" Nick replied.

"That's cheating!" The polar bear snarled.

" 'Knock him out and you pass!' That was your one rule." Nick smirked back. "You never said how."

The major was angry, but admitted defeat. "Fine! You pass! Now get outta here before I change my mind!"

Nick took a bow. "Thank you, Major Friedkin!" He then walked passed her and out the door.

The polar bear smelled something from Nick's back pocket as he left. "Do I smell Chloroform?!"

 **Back to present day...**

"That's cheating!" Judy replied.

"Hey! She said there was only one rule and I stuck to that rule and won!" Nick replied back. "Anyway, how have you been?"

"Busy." Judy replied. "With the brown and black bears on the force in hibernation, they have everyone else working extra shifts." She then let out a deep sigh. "I can't even get enough time off to see my family at Kitsmas!"

"Well that stinks!" Nick replied. "If you'd like, you can spend Kitsmas eve with my family!"

"Your family?"

"Yeah! Me, my mom and Finn here!"

"Finnick's family?"

"I think so. Mom doesn't." Nick said solemnly.

"She hates my guts." Finnick replied.

Judy was surprised. "Why?"

"When I was 12, I ran away from home. Dad was in jail, my mother could no longer afford to keep me and child services was going to take me away. I couldn't let that happen so I ran away. Finn took me under his paw and taught me how to survive on the streets. He's been like a second father to me."

Finnick talked to Judy. "She hated me because I taught him how to hustle and con folks, but for us foxes, it was one of the only ways to survive." Finnick bowed his head in sadness. "I'd love for her to forgive me one day, but I don't think that's ever gonna happen."

Nick picked up his friend and gave him a short hug and rubbed his head. "Cheer up Finn! How about we show Judy that Kitsmas song?!"

"Ehhh." The fennec fox said reluctantly. "I dunno."

"Aww c'mon! We wrote that one together!"

Finnick finally got a bit of a smile on him. "Awww! Okay!" He then pointed at Judy. "Hold on to your floppy ears, cottontail cuz this song's gonna shoot them right off!"

Nick and Finnick then started dancing around each other as they sang the tune.

 _Just hear those hand-cuffs chinkling! Clink! Clink! Clinking too!_

 _C'mon, it's lovely weather to be tarred and feathered with youuuu!_

 _Outside the crowds are forming and people shouting "BOOOOO!"_

 _C'mon, it's lovely weather to be tarred and feathered with youuuu!_

 _Well we should'na got involved with that money scam!_

 _Now we're running for our lives and we are on the lam!_

 _We sold everyone a snake oil that gave them all the hives..._

 _Now the darn cops are after us and we're running for our lives!_

 _Our cell doors went slammy and cold and clammy are we._

 _But with good behavior, we'll be out in four months or three._

 _Until then we'll just go and plan a scam or two._

 _Because it's lovely weather to be tarred and feathered with youuuu!_

The song ended and Judy clapped and cheered. "That was great guys! You're a regular Weird Al Yak-ovic!"

Nick and Finnick took a bow. "Thanks fluff!" Nick replied. "You feelin' better now Finn?"

He gave a smile. "A bit. Yeah. Thanks."

Nick turned his attention back to Judy. "Say Carrots, I was looking up my family history online and found out that I...Nicholas Piberius Wilde am a direct descendant of the legendary Robin Hood!"

Judy bent over laughing.

"It's true!" Nick protested. "He's my super great, great grand uncle on my cousin's side! I guess heroism runs in my veins!"

"Not to mention thievery." Judy added. "Nick, Robin Hood is just a fictional character based on legend, just like Jack Savage!"

"Aw c'mon Fluff! Don't you..." His attention was turned to a news van doing a report in front of several other vans that were piling up with expensive toys.

"Fabienne Growley here for ZNN reporting on the 33rd annual 'Toys for Kits' drive. The founder of the toy drive, multimillionaire Tiberius Kahn of Kahn Industries, will be on hand tomorrow morning to help deliver the gifts to the poor children across our city and the Savanna Central Orphanage."

Nick snarled. His fangs exposed. "Bull!"

"Yes?" A bull passerby asked.

"Oh! Sorry, not you. I meant a certain situation that's a falsehood."

"Ah! Okay. I get that a lot!"

Judy noticed Nick's anger. "Is something wrong Nick?"

"That toy drive is as fake as a three dollar bill! I outta know, me and Finn's three dollar bill scam did NOT go very far...at all!"

"I don't understand."

"I'll fill you in." Nick said. "The toy drive is a huge scam. Me and Finn found out that they've been getting big toy donations from corporations all over the United Plains only for Kahn to either give them to business partners we wants to influence or selling the high in demand toys on E-Hay and in return give the children a bunch of cheap bootlegs and 99 cent store junk!"

"Yeah!" Finn replied. "That cuts in on our honest racket of buying cheap toys from Goodwill and reselling them on E-Hay as collectors items!"

Judy gave nick a dirty look. "Hey! We put up pictures of every toy with an honest description. We just might have fudged out how valuable the toys were. It's not like this phony-artificial baloney toy drive that's ripping off tons of poor children! Not to mention what happened to me."

"Kahn's toy drive affected you in some way?" Judy asked.

"Yeah. I got burned by Kahn's toy drive...literally."

"How's that?" Judy asked.

Nick showed Judy a mark on his right paw pad. "See that? It's a burn mark I got when I was six years old."

Finnick turned to Judy. "And now ladies and gentleman, it's time for another edition of Nick Wilde's tragic childhood."

"Oh shut up!" Nick scoffed at Finnick. "Anyway, we should sit down for this one."

Nick, Finnick and Judy found a bench to sit down at. Nick went into detail about his past childhood trauma.

"The year was 1989. I was six years old and my favorite movie that year was "Batcat" directed by Tim Purrton."

"The one where Batcat had to rescue Vixen Vale from the Jackal?" Judy asked.

"Correct. I loved Batcat. I'd borrow my friends comic books, watched the cheesy 60's show on T.V., but mostly I'd beg my parents for the large Batcat action doll. However, my parents were VERY poor at the time. My mom was working part time at a grocery store and my dad was trying desperately to get his tailoring business off the ground."

"That's where 'Toys for Kits' came in. Kahn's people promised my parents that they would get me a Batcat action doll for Kitsmas. The day arrived and they came to our house with the package all wrapped up in a bow. I opened it up as quickly as I could. It was Batcat...kinda...sorta. It was a large, plastic doll with a horrible paint smell. The package said 'The Spider-Cat of Bat fame', whatever the heck that means and had a picture of Spider-Ram on it. The paint job was all wrong and parts of the screws were coming off the leg. The ugly thing couldn't be more bootleg. Our family got ripped off by Kahn."

"Well..." said Judy. "That stinks, but I wouldn't call it the worst thing."

"Oh it gets worse!" Nick replied. "I tried to make the best of it. My parents always taught me to make due with what you have and be happy and hey! I got a Batcat unlike any of the other kids had. You pressed a button on his back and a tiny light on his chest came on along with a voice saying 'Fire! Fire! Fire! RATATATATAT! Fire!', which would be neat if it wasn't for the fact that Batcat hated guns and never used them."

Nick continued. "Anyway, after a few hours I started to actually like the doll. However, just like the toy itself, the batteries were made of super cheap stuff. I pressed the button one too many times and the battery exploded! The cheap paint made the entire doll catch on fire too and I received third degree burns on my right paw. As you saw with your own eyes, the damage is still there."

"That had to be the worst Kitmas!" Judy replied.

"I'm not even done yet. My mom and dad took me to emergency to have my paw seen to. It cost a good chunk of my dad's savings and it took them all year to pay off the bill. Our Kitsmas dinner that night was peanut butter sandwiches. All because that phony feline, Tiberius Kahn replaced my toy with a cheap knockoff!"

"Couldn't you sue?" Judy asked.

Both Nick and Finnick laughed. "You honestly think my family had the money to take him to court?! With his billions?!"

"Good point." Judy replied.

Nick stood up and looked at the two vans filling with expensive collector's toys that he knew would not be going to the children who deserved them.

"Just ONCE, I'd like those toys to go to the needy children instead of in that terrible tiger's wallet! If I could, I'd just take his vans and take...them...directly..." A sly smile came across Nick's face.

"I don't like that smile!" Judy said. "You've got some kind of con planned, don't you?!"

"I LOVE that smile!" Finnick added. "What ya got planned Nick?"

Nick put his arms around his friends. " My dear friends, let's go someplace private to talk. We are gonna pull off my biggest scheme ever! Like my great ancestor, we are gonna rob from the rich and give to the poor!"

"I call it...'Operation: Santa Paws!' "


	2. Chapter 2: The Duke of Hazard Pay

Chapter 2: The Duke of Hazard Pay

 **December 23rd, 9:35am**

 **A/N : Annd as you read the first part of this chapter, you realize that this is KIND OF a crossover, but not quite. It just puts both Robin Hood and Tale Spin as canon with my version of Zootopia. I have another Talespin/Zootopia crossover planned for the far future, but this one only features the main villain, Tiberius Kahn. The third generation of Kahns to own Kahn Industries. So yeah, no Baloo or Rebbeca, they're far too old to be alive. Kit's barely hanging in there, but he won't be in this story either outside of being referenced for exposition. In case you're wondering why the family is called the "Cunningham's", it's because Baloo decided to take her last name. He thought the name "Von Bruinwald" was far too stuffy for his tastes.**

 **Halfway through writing this chapter, I realized I'm about to have a serious plot hole as far as this being canon with "My Turn to Drive" as I originally wrote Judy meeting Honey for the first time then. But Honey's an important part of this story, so I have to do a little bit of rewriting to make her fit into the story without Judy knowing who she is.**

It was a cold winter in Cape Suzette. Tiberius Kahn looked out over the icy sea from his sliding glass window. His building, "Kahn Towers" rose over the cliff side of the city. His son, Shere the third, ran inside Tiberius' large office with some papers in hand.

"It's official Dad! The Cunninghams have gone into full hibernation."

Tiberius kept staring through the window not looking at his son as he spoke. "And YOU think it's a good time to strike do you?"

"Yes! Father, if we can finally get rid of these blasted Cunninghams, we can fully OWN this city!"

"They're in hiding. Son. They're not stupid. The people they leave in charge during their absence like that blasted Bagheera are unscrupulous. For now, we wait."

Shere shouted at his dad. "I'M SICK OF WAITING!"

Tiberius leered at his son. "Calm yourself."

"Father this tug of war for land with the Cunninghams have been going on for decades! Generations! Their air cab business has now stretched worldwide. The longer they go on, the more successful they become and the harder it gets to take their business from under them. That damn CEO, Kit is in his 90's and still kicking! We will never fully own this city while Higher for Hire remains in business! I can get us a small team to tear apart their offices and.."

"...and any trace of an attack might be lead directly back to us and ruin our business! Son, I named you 'Shere' after my grandfather. He knew that rage does not work. You have to use your temper and malice properly. Keep it inside until the time is right to..."

"Tiberius noticed his secretary, a doe had eyed the open papers on his desk. The paperwork included plots for possibly kidnapping the Cunningham's grandchildren including a few faces crossed off. She quickly tilted her head back up when she noticed she was being watched. "Oh! Ummm... Mr. Kahn. I brought the hot tea you requested."

An evil grin came across the tigers face. He took a cup of tea in one paw and put his other paw on her back. "Thank you miss Cervidae! Come, I want to show you something."

He led her to the sliding glass window and opened it. "Quite a lovely view isn't it? You can see the island volcano far into the distance. This side is also completely blocked from view of the rest of the city. Please watch your step. If the fall doesn't kill you, he icy water below sure would and from where we are, no one could rescue you or find your body!"

She was trembling. He gave her a slight shove which made her gasp only for him to pull her back while digging his sharp claws in her shoulder. "Whoops! Careful now. Wouldn't want anything to happen to my favorite secretary. You didn't happen to notice anything on that paperwork, did you?"

The doe was in great fear. "N-No sir! I saw nothing!"

"Good!" He pulled her away from the window and shut it. "Otherwise, you'd have to sign a bunch of confidentiality agreements and those can get rather tiresome I assure you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to catch a flight to Zootopia. Mostly ceremonial stuff. While you're here, can you clean up a bit for me? My clutter tends to pile up."

"Y-Yes sir!" The doe went straight to work.

Tiberius whispered into Shere the third's ear. "You see? We don't kill. We intimidate. THAT'S how you control the masses. I'm heading out now. Remember, watch your temper!"

"Goodbye father." Shere said as he watched his father exit out of his large office. After a few moments, he then eyed the doe picking up paperwork. He walked over and stood above her.

"Consider yourself lucky. Had my father not intervened, you'd have been tossed out that window!"

Shere the third left the office with the doe still cleaning up. Trembling at the thought of what could have happened.

 **Meanwhile in Zootopia at a local cafe...**

"No! No! No! Nick are you crazy?!" Judy shouted.

"Woah! Calm down Fluff!" Nick said as he tried to calm his friend. They were sitting with Finnick in a cafe coming up with their plan. "I gave us a table in the corner so we WOULD'NT attract attention!"

"Nick, so far your plan involves breaking and entering and hijacking two vans! This is NOT a simple hustle, this is highly illegal!"

"Only because you're making it sound like it Carrots. Honestly, we are merely...volunteering to help a needy cause. We go in disguised as some of Kahn's men, _volunteer_ to assist in making sure all the good toys are in the vans and then _volunteer_ to take them to the orphanage."

Judy put her paws over one of Nick's. "Nick, I understand that you want to do good and that you want these children to have a much better Kitsmas experience than you did, but the risk is too high! You've still got about two months before your graduation and I could be arrested and lose my job as a police officer!"

The waitress, a gazelle came to take their order. "What can I get you three?"

"I'll have the garden salad with a side of water." Judy replied.

I was Nick's turn. "I'll have some blueberry pancakes with a beer and my little boy here will have the kids cheese pizza with apple slices and an orange soda."

"You got it!" The waitress wrote every thing down, thanked them and handed Finnick some crayons and a placemat to color with.

Judy was a little concerned. "A beer? This early in the morning Nick?"

"It's for me, Toots." Finnick replied. "We always switch drinks when they come." He then went to coloring.

"Carrots, you have to understand. I would never, EVER put you at risk. I will take every precaution to make sure we don't get caught and if worse comes to worst, I want you to shoot me with your dart gun and arrest me. That way you're in the clear."

Judy was conflicted. "Nick...I..."

"I'm not risking my neck for personal gain for once. This is for all the kids who've ever been given a bum steer and I don't mean that steer whose pan-handling outside of the cafe. Please Judy...won't you do it for the children?"

Finnick looked up at Judy and gave her a pitiful look. "Yeah..For the children."

"Judy rolled her eyes. GRRRR! Fine! But I need your assurance no one will be harmed!"

"I promise Fluff." Nick replied. "Now, I just need to get my team together."

Moments later, the food arrived. The gazelle set down all the plates and was shocked at Finnick's coloring.

"What wonderful coloring! The lighting, the shading...it's a work of art!"

"Thanks baby!" Finnick replied back, forgetting he's supposed to be a toddler. She gave him a stunned look after hearing his deep voice.

Nick quickly chimed in. "He's uhhh... got a condition. Kids tend to make fun of him in kindergarden."

"Well if you don't mind, this is gonna go up by our front register." The waitress walked off with the placemat.

Judy was impressed. "That's really good work Finnick! How come you never became an artist?"

"I like money too much."

They proceeded to eat their food. Nick and Finnick switched drinks.

Judy munched on her salad. "So who's next on our team?"

"Someone you're very familiar with. You once gave him a doughnut."

"...Clawhauser?"

"Nope. You also introduced him to the big family."

Judy thought for a moment and then realized who Nick was talking about.

"Nooo. No! Not him!"

"Yes him. Sometimes to stop a crook, you need a crook! Besides, I've talked to Weaselton lately and you'd be surprised how much he's changed! After that, I need to get my fur trimmed. Then we'll go see me and Finn's old partner Hon-"

"Hold it!" Finn said. "I uhhh ...need to use the little puppies room. Y'dig?"

"Oh." Nick replied. "Sure Finn! Do you need help getting up to the toilet?" He said in a joking matter.

"Yes." Finn said in a serious one. He then looked over at Judy "Don't you even THINK about laughing!"

"None from me!" Judy replied. "Trust me, I've had the same problem!"

Finn just rolled his eyes/ "C'mon Nick!"

"Okay!" Nick followed Finn into the bathroom.

Nick questioned his friend. "There's a small mammal latrine right there. What's this really about?"

"You were about to mention Honey. She does NOT like cops in any way! I'm starting to get her to open up more, but she's still super paranoid. If we approach her and we have someone with us she may not like, her code name is "Stacy". Got it?! You call her 'Stacey' and she'll know to disguise herself from the law."

"Does she know I'M about to become a cop?"

"I haven't mentioned it to her yet. Not that I'm mad at ya for betterin' yourself. I just don't know how she'd react. All three of us were pretty close at one time. She might feel betrayed."

"Yeah. Anyway, let's go tell Judy about 'Stacy'. Where is she now by the way?"

"I'll take ya right to her she's...on the way."

"Okay then!" They headed back and finished their meal with Judy.

About a half-hour later, they arrived in front of an old brownstone apartment that looked like it had seen better days. Nick knocked on the door. A voice came from the other side.

"Whaddya want?!"

"Got any good bootleg DVDs?" Nick asked.

Duke opened the door slightly. "I don't do dat no more! Get lost!"

"Duke! It's me! Nick!"

Duke opened the door. "Nick! How ya doin' buddy! Straight life treating ya good?"

"Up until today." Judy replied.

Duke shrieked and jumped into Nick's arms. "AAAH! It's the very devil herself! I swear lady! I ain't done nothin' this time! I'm straight as an arrow now!"

Judy didn't believe him. "Suuure you are!"

"It's true I tells ya! Almost gettin' iced by Mr. Big changed my perspective on life. I got me an honest job in construction and a beautiful little lady I'm gonna marry! Lady, you scared me straight!"

Judy was pleased. "Awww! That's so good to hear!" She went over and gave Duke a hug. " _SNIFF! SNIFF!_ I think you should add a bath to your list of life-changing things."

"Heh! Sorry! Work hard, smell hard! Anyway, I also am about ta be a dad to seven wonderful kids. Their rat of a father ran out on them, but not me! A real man takes responsibility and helps show the little ones the way! So no more jail for me! That's for sure! From now on, I'm livin' on the straight and narrow! So what can I do ya for?"

Nick talked to him. "We need you to help us hijack two vans."

"Thank freakin' God! This goodie-two-shoes life is stifling me! I'm a weasel fer cryin' out loud! If I don't cheat and steal on occasion, I'll go nuts!"

Duke then looked over at Judy. "Well Cotton-Tail! Didn't take you too long ta turn into a crooked cop I see!"

"I'm not crooked!" Judy shouted. "This is for a good cause and to help some needy children!"

"Surre it is!" Duke said with a sly grin. He then turned his attention to Nick "So Nick, how much does this pay?"

"Nothing!" Nick replied. "She's right. This is for charity."

"Ferget it then! I ain't riskin' my neck fer nuthin'!"

"How about we make sure your seven kids get some toys out of it?"

"Now yer talkin'! That'll make sure they ferget all about their old daddy!"

Duke then looked down at Finnick. "Are you bringin' your son along or is dis one o' Santa's little helpers?"

Finnick jumped onto Duke and threatened him with his fist. "I got yer 'little helper' right here!"

Nick pulled them off of each other. "Woah! Woah! Guys! Relax. We're all friends here okay? Duke, this is Finn. He's 42 and is a fennec fox, okay?"

Duke backed off. "Hey. He attacked me! I didn't know who he was!"

"Sorry Duke, Finn's very sensitive about his height." Nick turned his attention to Finnick. "Finn, apologize!"

"Screw you! I ain't nobody's 'little helper'!"

Nick rubbed his brow. "Finn...we HAVE to get along on this or this mission is a bust! Work with me here!"

Duke talked to Nick and Finnick. "Look, if it helps, I didn't mean any harm. I'm sorry I made a tiny joke. 'Kay?!"

Finnick wouldn't look directly at Duke. He put his hands in his pockets. "Okay, fine! I'm...sorry too. I guess."

"Great!" Nick replied. "Now that we're on the same page again, let's go get my fur trimmed and meet up with Hon-I mean Stacey!"

"Alright then!" Duke replied. "The oldest one can watch the other kids. I'll call my babe and let her know I'll be home late!"

The four of them left together and headed to the barbers. Harry the shearer was ironically, a ram.

The ram had Nick sit down on the chair. "Alright buddy, what'll it be?"

"Just a trim." Nick replied.

Finnick hopped on top of the chair. "He'll have the number 15 if you get my drift."

The ram winked back. "I gotcha."

Nick was completely confused. "What are you talking about Finn? There's only 14 styles on the..."

The chair started to sink into the ground. "What the heck's going on?!" Nick shouted.

"I told you she was on the way." Finnick replied. "Hop on everyone, we're heading down to meet Ho-errr...Stacy!"

Judy, Duke and Finn all hopped onto Nick's lap.

"Awww man! I'm never gonna get my fur trimmed, am I?"


	3. Chapter 3: Honey and The Plan

Chapter 3: "Stacy and The Plan"

The barber chair/elevator finally stopped and the doors opened up. Before them was a narrow hallway with just a few dim lights. Finnick jumped off Nick and lead the team down the hall. "Follow me!"

They headed down the hallway and came to a stop in front of a camera. Finnick pressed the door which played "Mary had a little lamb".

The camera aimed down at Finnick and crew. "What's the password?"

"You can't pull the wool over my eyes!" said Finnick.

"Password accepted. Just give me a moment!" They then heard the sounds of locks being opened. LOTS of locks.

"You may wanna pull out your smart phones or somethin' this may take awhile. Isn't that right...'Stacy'?"

The locks stopped clicking for a moment. "You got a cop with ya?"

"She's a good friend." Nick said. "She's on our team! Me and her took down Mayor Bellweather."

"Oh yeah! The bunny cop!...I don't trust her." She started re-latching the locks.

"But why?!" Nick asked.

"She may have stopped the mayor, but she's also the one who gave that horrible speech that got all the hate crimes goin'!"

Judy pleaded with her. "And I made a HORRIBLE mistake! I know that put a lot of pressure and hardship on the predators. I'm truly, truly sorry!"

"Well...hold up. I gotta...put on some make up."

"AAAUUGH!" Finnick yelled in frustration. "That means she's gonna die her fur so you can't recognize her later. Add that to all the locks she has to undo and we're gonna be out here a good while."

Nick tried to get furbook on his phone. "Uhhh guys? Are any of you getting any signals?"

"Nope." Judy replied. "We're too far underground."

Finnick sat down. "Well, might as well sit here and get comfortable. She'll be about a half hour."

They sat there in awkward silence. Finally, Weaselton spoke up. "Hunh. Deep underground and no communication to the outside world? Dis would be a great place ta torture and kill people!"

They all looked at him in stunned silence and jaws agape.

"What?!...I'm just sayin' what we're all thinkin'!"

 **About a half-hour later...**

The final click and clack of the door locks finished and Honey opened up the doors. The place inside looked like something out of Def Con Ten. Computers, weapons and maps were strewn across the large room. The place looked like it was ready for a war, but really it was just there to feed into Stacy's paranoia.

Finnick greeted his honey badger friend first. "Yo Stacey! How...are...you..."

Honey, disguised as Stacey was painted all black with a white stripe down her back. "Here I am! Stacy the skunk!"

Finnick was disgusted. "Stacey, you know how I fell about wearing black fur! It's tacky!"

"I don't know what you're talking about! Now, come here and give me some sugar!"

Stacey hugged her friend Finnick close, but when she let go, Finnick was now covered in black fur paint. "UGH! I'm gonna go wash up."

Nick, Judy and Duke approached Honey. Judy tried to calm her fears. "Stacey, I'm not looking to arrest anyone! I'm risking my neck just helping Nick on this assignment!"

Honey eyes the trio. "You didn't bring any sheep along did ya?"

"No Stacey." Nick replied. "It's just us four."

"Good! I can't stand sheep! Especially that Dawn lady! Glad she's in jail. Did you know sheep now have full control over the Illuminati? It's true! My Furbook friend Hugo told me all about it!"

Judy whispered to Nick. "Is she always this crazy?"

"No Fluff, just when...yeah. Yeah, she's always this crazy."

Honey turned her attention to Nick. "So..what do ya got for me Nick? A plan to take down the establishment from the inside?!"

"No, just taking down one guy...Tiberius Kahn."

Honey wrung her hands in glee. "Ooooh a billionaire fat cat! I like it!"

"He's quite tone actually, but that's not the point. For decades, he's been using his 'Toys for Kits' drive as a front to help influence his business partners and make some profit off the dreams of poor kids and orphans. He gets donations for the most expensive and sought after toys and either gives them to his corporate partners or sells them for a high profit on E-Hay. Then, he replaces those toys with bootleg knockoffs or dollar store junk. I want to take him down a peg. This year, those valuable toys are going DIRECTLY to the orphans if we have to drive the vans ourselves!"

Honey thought it over. "You're gonna need a good plan."

"That's why I came to you for your expertise." Nick replied.

"I need the layout of where they're operating from and at least hack into their security cameras. Luckily I got a tech guy who helps me with this stuff on his off time. He'll be communicating to us through the mission. Follow me!"

Nick was pleased. "Good, 'cause we're gonna need someone who can change plans quickly and on the fly."

Nick was pleased...up until the point where he saw just who this 'tech guy' was.

"Oh no!" Nick and Judy said together.

"Hello..."

"...Nick..."

"...and...Judy."

"Hello Flash." Judy said in a disgusted voice. Their sloth friend from the DMV was Honey's computer operative.

Nick tried to be a little more optimistic. "Flash, Flash! Hundred yard dash! I didn't know hacking was your thing!"

"It's...my..."

"...hobby...when..."

"...I'm...not..."

Duke interrupted. "Picking up chicks? Doing yoga? Robbing trains?!"

Finnick jumped in as well. "Curing all diseases?! Overthrowing the government?!"

Flash was getting annoyed. "...WORKING...at..."

Duke interrupted again. "Building your muscles? Oooh! Doing your gymnastics for the Olympics?!"

Finnick started to laugh, but Flash was just getting angry. "..THE...DMV!...SHUT...UP... WEASEL!"

"Woah! For a slow poke, he's got a quick temper!" Finnick joked.

Nick was getting annoyed as well. "Knock it off, you two! Flash, we need a plan to break in. You think you can give us a schematic of Kahn Towers and find out where his warehouse is?"

"I'll...have..."

Finnick jumped in. "Two tacos and a soda!"

Nick was getting upset. "Knock it off Finn!"

Finnick just put his paws in his pockets and pouted away. "I was only having some fun."

Flash continued. "...it...done..."

"...in...a..."

"..."

"..."

"...jiffy!"

Judy and Nick looked at each other concerned. Flash went to work on the computer. He moved his mouse over to a hacking program and clicked on it He then went to work on the keyboard.

 _Tap...Tap...Tap...Tap...Tap...Tap._

Nick and Judy were horrified. "...We're doomed."

Honey tried to ease their concerns. "Relax guys. He can be super fast when he wants to. He just needs a little boost." She went over to the fridge and got out a can of "Red Buffalo" energy drink. "Flash ol' buddy! It's time to quicken the pace!"

"...Please...No!...That...stuff...affects..."

"my...heart!"

"Down the hatch!" Honey forced open Flash's mouth and poured the energy drink down his throat. Flash's pupils dilated and he fell off his chair.

Nick looked real concerned as he went over to check on his sloth friend. "Flash buddy? Are you okay?!"

Flash quickly popped up and jumped back into his chair. His eyes were bulging out of his skull.

"FineNick! I'mfinefinefine! Let'sdothisthing! First,wegottagetintothebuildingssystemsandquickly!Gottagofast! Gottagofast! Gottagofasterfasterfasterfasterfaster!" The sloths claws were jamming on the keyboards at blinding speeds.

Judy was a little worried. "Is he gonna be okay?"

Honey tried to ease her worries. "Yeah. He'll be fine. Messes with his heart sometimes, but I got a defibrillator on standby if need be."

"That doesn't ease me much."

Moments later, Flash had a print out of a warehouse near Kahn Towers. "Ihaveaccesstotheirsecuritycamerassowecanseeeverythinggoingon!"

Judy put her paw on Flash's shoulder. "Flash? I never thought I'd say this, but slow...down."

"I'll take over." Honey replied. "As flash said, he was access to the security cameras. He'll be our eyes in the building. The trucks are parked by Kahn's warehouse close by. Most likely, they're already full of the cheap, bootleg toys. We can see that the pallets of the other toys are still in the warehouse. In order for the kids to get the best toys, we're gonna need to have the pallets that are already inside switched out and then take the trucks ourselves straight to the orphanage!"

Nick mulled it over. "Do we have the schedule for the guards?"

"There's just two timberwolves watching the warehouse overnight along with some stockers moving the freight, Their shift ends at 7am."

"Then we have to get the trucks before then." Nick replied. "Okay guys, give me a few minutes and I'll come up with a plan."

"That'sgood!That'sgreat!Ineedtoliedown,I'mgonnapassout!"

"Take a break speedy." Honey replied.

Nick looked over the map of the warehouse on the desk. Finnick and Duke stood over in the corner talking. They seemed to be getting along better after their initial fight. Honey looked over and saw Judy sitting on a chair in another corner, her head was buried in her hands. Honey decided to talk to her.

"You okay there copper?

Judy was in tears. "What am I doing?! I'm putting my entire career at stake over toys! TOYS! I know those kids deserve a great Kitsmas, but I'm gonna be breaking the law! A law I swore to uphold!"

"So what?! This aint like you're doin' this for personal gain, this is justice! It's sticking it to those jerks who keep us down and rob us of our liberties! Ta hell with that tiger!"

"Is it justice?" Judy asked. She looked over at her future partner. "Nick, how do I know this isn't just vengeance for your ruined Kitsmas as a child?"

Nick didn't look up at her as he studied the map. "It's a little personal carrots, I'll give you that. But if I have an opportunity to stop these kids from having a ruined Kitsmas like I had, then I'll do what I can "

"Including destroying my dream of being a cop." Judy replied.

Duke decided to speak up "Oh PLEASE flatfoot! Like you haven't done ANYTHING illegal! Something like, oh...I dunno taking a not-so honest citizen, knocking him out with a dart, putting him in a duffle bag and then having a MAFIA BOSS threaten his life to get some information out of him!"

"He's got ya there fluff!" Nick replied.

"I wasn't a cop at the time!" Judy argued. "I quit the force due to the guilt of my speech hurting the city."

"So you admit you and Nick were vigilantinos!" Duke argued.

Judy corrected him. "Vigilantes, and you should be thanking us! We defeated Dawn and exposed her fraud to the entire city!"

Nick turned to Judy. "Oh and carrots, don't forget breaking and entering! We did that twice when you WERE a cop. Remember?"

Judy was getting more and more flustered. "Whose side are you on?! Okay! Okay! So I broke the rules every now and again! It was for the better good. We found the missing mammals."

Nick mused over the situation. "...And finding those missing mammals was the only way you kept your job. Don't you see? Yes, we broke the law, but in those same situations, it was both for our own selfish needs _and_ for justice. Same thing here fluff."

Judy mulled it over. "I guess. But in those cases, there was a bigger stake involved. Besides, I _decided_ to put my career on the line to save those mammals."

"Carrots remember, whether it's exposing bigotry or helping children have a wonderful Kitsmas, we take risks to help improve the lives of others. Now everyone come over here. I think I got a plan!"

Everyone gathered around the desk to see what Nick was up to. He had the printed map on the table with some some figurines to represent everyone involved.

"Welp! Here we are! Nick's six!"

Finnick raised an eyebrow. " 'Nick's six?' Really?"

"Hey, next time we're down one guy, I'll call it 'Finnick's five'. Anyway, here's the plan..."

"We get there dressed in Christmas volunteer garb in case anyone questions us. As Ho-..Stacy said, Flash will be our eyes for this mission. Stacy has provided us with tiny transmitters so we can keep in touch. We will be divided into two teams. Team Alpha will comprise of me, Duke and Stacy. We'll go in and infiltrate the place as volunteers. Judy and Finn will be Team Tiny."

"The hell we will!" Finnick protested. "I DON'T like working with the fuzz and I REALLY don't like being called tiny!"

Nick argued back "But being tiny is what I need on this mission! You two'll infiltrate the guard house and steal the van keys. Carrots, bring your dart gun and Carrot pen just in case."

Judy protested. "Actually, I'm with Finnick on this one. I mean, I get it. We're small and can sneak around better, but 'Team Tiny' is degrading. If you're 'Team Alpha', we should be 'Team Bravo'!"

Finnick smiled. "Thanks Toots!"

Nick just rolled his eyes. "Fine! Team Bravo will infiltrate the guard house and steal the keys. They'll then meet back with us at the vans and we'll drive them off to the orphanage with _hopefully_ no one being the wiser!"

Judy questioned the plan. "So brand new volunteers come in and take over everything and no one suspects?"

"We'll have Flash add us to the volunteer list under some false names. He's already been printing out fake I.D.'s for us. H-...Stacey? I'm gonna need some non-lethal weapons just in case things go south."

Honey got a big smile on her face. "You need weapons? I got weapons!" She opened a cabinet full of nasty-looking weaponry. The first thing she pulled out was a giant electric razor.

"I call this one, 'The Shredder!' " She pulled back on a cord and the blades came to life. "This baby will trim your winter coat off in a bout two seconds flat!"

This scared Nick. "EEP! Th-that's okay! Really! We need something …...smaller and less scary."

Honey picked up a new weapon. "How about this? It's a graphite bow and arrow with an EMP tip! You shoot this at any electronic device and it shoots out an EMP wave that knocks it dead!"

Nick picked up the weapon and looked at it with an excited glee like a kid at Kitsmas. "This...is...perfect!" I can relive the glory days of my ancestor, Robin Hood!"

Honey, Finnick and Duke started to laugh, They were bent over backwards chuckling and giggling.

"HA-HAAA! He thinks Robin Hood was a real person and he's related to him!" Duke shouted.

Nick was getting upset. "Hey! I looked it up on a family tree site! It's true!"

Judy touched Nick's elbow in sympathy. "Don't let them get to you Nick."

Nick let out a deep sigh. "Anyway, we need to get back here by 4am sharp, tonight."

"You mean tomorrow morning." Duke argued.

Nick was getting upset. "WHATEVER! We just need to be fully prepared. So go home, eat an early dinner and take a nap."

Weaselton started to leave. "Alright-y then! See ya later 'Robin Hood'!" This caused Duke and Finn to laugh together.

"I'm gonna head to my van then." Said Finnick.

Duke protested. "Nothin' doin pal! I got a comfy couch you can crash on for a bit. You can meet my soon-to-be family!"

Finnick was happy at the request. "Alright! I'll take ya up on that!"

They left laughing and patting each others back. As they left, Nick eyed Duke Weaselton with an angry glare which didn't go unnoticed by Judy. She started to giggle.

"Oh...my...gosh! That is sooo cute!"

Nick didn't understand. "What's 'cute'?"

"You're jealous!"

"I AM NOT!"

"You totally are and it's adorable! C'mon Nick! You and Finn have been going your own separate ways since you left for the academy. He'll always be your friend, but it's nice for him to meet new people! He's told me what a struggle it's been for him without you. You're not there to have his back anymore. Besides, I'm all for the Dukenick ship!"

"Jeez, Carrots! They're just friends, not romantically involved! Besides! He's always got Ho-errr..Stacy to fall back on. Those two are really close. Sometimes...VERY close if you get my drift."

"Stacy's his girlfriend?"

"H-Stacy isn't ANYONE'S girlfriend. She's loving but...keeps her distance. I think she has self-esteem issues along with her paranoia and just doesn't want to be close to anyone. Me and her were even an item for a short time and even then, she only considered us 'close friends'."

Judy had a bit of a sneer on her face as she looked at Honey. Nick smiled as he noticed.

"Huh. There's that same look I had!"

"What look?"

"Jealousy." Nick said with a smirk. "Looks like I'm not the only one."

"I am NOT jealous!" Judy protested.

"Bun please, your ears are beet red."

Judy decided to change the subject before it got too personal. "Stacy isn't her real name, is it?"

"It was pretty obvious hunh?"

"You and Finnick kept slipping up."

"Well, it's best she remains 'Stacy' for now or else she'll kill me. She's not a skunk either, just a paranoid badger. Let's get going. I'll treat you to lunch." He shouted over to Honey. "We're heading out now Stacy! We'll see you tonight! Make sure to get some rest!"

"You got it!" Honey replied. "Make sure to head left through the sewer gate. It's the only way out."

"The sewers?!" Judy groaned as her and Nick left.

Honey then turned her attention over to Flash. "Hey Flash! You gonna go home to nap?"

Flash was still in a deep sleep.

" _Z...Z...Z...Z...Z...Z...Z...Z...Z"_

"Dang, dude! You even snore slow!"


	4. Chapter 4: Gary and Larry – The Musical

Chapter 4: Gary and Larry – The Musical

 **A/N: Even though Finnick's past after Nick left was brought up in "My Turn to Drive" as being fairly miserable and no mention of Duke, I couldn't help but team him up with Duke Weaselton as buddies. There's about ten months between the two stories, so anything could have happened to break the friendship up and I may do that near the end of the story, but for now, Duke fits with Finn's slightly crooked style perfectly. My own canon be damned.**

 **December 23rd, 4:10pm**

Nick and Judy were just about done with their meal at a local cafe. As Nick looked at his future partner, he could tell she was deep in thought a look of sadness swept across her face.

"Carrots, if you're still worried, we can back out of this."

"It's not that." She replied. "I was thinking about work...about how you and Finn becoming more distant is similar to me and my family."

"How so?" Nick asked.

"Most of my family members have always stayed in Bunnyburrow and helped with the family farm in some capacity. I was the first one to branch out on my own and leave home for Zootopia and become a cop. Now, for the first time, I'm not going to be home for Kitsmas. I have to work that morning. I tried to get out of it, but too many members of the force are in hibernation. I've... _SNIFF!_...I've never missed my family more than I do right now!"

"Will you be able to see them soon?"

"Next weekend, but it won't be the same. I won't be there to see the little kits unwrap their presents, to sing along with uncle Jeremy on the piano, to do sign language with Jimmy, my deaf little brother and to warm up by the fire place." She let out a deep sigh.

"What about Kitsmas night? Can't you take the train?"

"The train is currently out of service due to heavy snow causing too much blockage on the tracks and it would take forever in this weather to see them by bus."

"Well, if you're not doing anything Kitsmas night, wanna have dinner with me? I'm not doing anything."

Judy's ears perked straight up. "Dinner? Like...on a date?"

"Kinda. Well, not exactly. I mean, we're eating together right now and it's not a date. Just dinner with a friend."

Judy was a little disappointed, but still happy. "Oh!...Okay. Sure! If you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to use the restroom."

"Sure thing fluff!" As she left, he got on his phone and made some preparations. "Carrots, Kitsmas night may just be a night you never forget."

 **Meanwhile...**

Duke lead Finnick up to his brownstone apartment.

"Here we are! Home sweet home! Let me introduce ya to the kids. They should be home from school by now."

Duke opened the door. The place was a bit messy and smelled terribly, but otherwise your typical city dwelling. "Hey kids! Yer uncle Duke is home and I got some company!"

Just then, about a half dozen rats scurried out into the living room which scared the heck out of Finnick.

"Woah! Duke! You got an infestation here!"

"An infestation of adorableness!" Duke replied. "These are my kids! C'mere ya little rug rats!"

They ran up to him and he hugged them all individually. "Ahhh it's good ta see you! You all startin' Christmas vacation?"

"Yes unca' Duke!" Said the littlest one.

"It's gonna be 'daddy' pretty soon. Heh-heh! Kids, this is my new friend, Finnick. Give him a big hug would ya?!"

The littlest ones all ran over to Finnick and hugged him. He was a little creeped out at first, but he loved the attention.

"I've never met an adult as small as me!" Said Ricky, the 8 year-old rat. "You're cool!"

This pleased Finnick quite a bit. For the first time in a long time, he felt welcomed and loved.

"Thanks kid! I never thought rats could be so...cute!" He turned his attention to Duke. "So I take it your fiance's a rat too?"

"Only da most bee-utiful rat I ever done seen! Check out 'dis picture of her we took!" Duke then showed Finnick a picture of him and his loved one in their winter garbs. Finnick was taken back on how attractive she looked.

"She's gorgeous! Y'know, meeting these kids and seeing your fiance', it really changes my perspective on rats in general."

"Yeah. They get a bum rap just like us weasels and foxes! People judge us before they get to know us, y'know?"

"Only too well bro."

Just then, there was a pounding on the door. "HEY LOSERTON! OPEN UP!"

Duke jumped up in fear. "Oh no! It's the ex!" Duke walked up to the door, but didn't open it up. "W-W-Whaddya want Muroid?!"

"Let me see my kids! I got custody rights y'know?!"

"You lost those rights in court when ya refused to pay child support! Rosetta don't want ya around anymore so get lost!"

"GRRRR Fine! But this won't be the last you heard of me!"

Duke waited for a moment and then peeked his head out the door to see if he had left.

He didn't.

Muroid shoved the door open knocking Duke and one of the kids over. "Told ya it wouldn't be the last. You think you can just come in here and take over my life?!"

The kids were scared. "Daddy! You hurt uncle Duke and Billy!"

"Shut up you little brat!" Yelled the large rat.

Finnick had enough. "This is my friends house now, not yours. You get the hell out!"

"Or else wh-" The rat didn't get a chance to answer. Finnick speared him to the ground and wailed on him. "I kicked butt on mammals WAY bigger than you, punk!"

The kids were impressed. "Wow! Mr. Finnick can fight good!"

"He's way tougher than uncle Duke!" Said another. Finnick heard this and saw Duke getting up with a depressed look on his face. He knew he was letting the kids down. Finnick realized what he needed to do. He hesitated on purpose to let Muroid get the upper hand.

The large rat kicked him off and then proceeded to bash Finnick's skull into a cabinet nearby and smash him into a portrait.

Duke had enough. He finally got the courage to fight the large rat "You leave by best friend alone!" He tackled Muroid and punched back. Muroid followed up with bite on the arm. Duke bit back on his ear. He finally managed to wrestle Muroid down and grappled him from behind. He stood Murpoid up and the rat couldn't get out of Duke's grasp. Duke may have been the weaker of the two, but he was still almost twice the rat's size. He propped him up for Finnick. "Finish him pal!"

Finnick wiped the small amount of blood off his face. He went over and gave several hard punches to Muroid's belly and a good one to his face. Duke then took the large rat and threw him out the door.

Duke was mad. "You better leave and never come back, y'hear?! I ain't afraid of you no more!" He slammed the door on the rat."

Muroid was furious, but in pain. "This ain't the last you heard of...OW! My ribs! I'm outta here!"

The kids all cheered. Steve, the oldest rat at twelve, gave his future dad a high-five. "That was so cool uncle Duke! You were awesome too Finnick!"

"Thanks kid." Finnick said with a smile. He then looked over at Weaselton. "You okay bud?"

"I'll need a bandage on my arm, but otherwise, I'm okay. I just hope Muroid's had all of his shots."

"Did...Did you really mean it when you called me your best friend?"

"I ain't got no other friends, so sure!"

Finnick smiled. "Thanks man! I'm beat. Literally. Mind if I crash on your couch?"

""I insist! There's a seat cushion you can use as a pillow. I'm outta blankets right now though, They're in the wash."

"I should be fine. I sleep in a cold van" Finnick said. He laid on the couch. He sank into it and almost fell asleep then and there. He looked over at Duke playing with the little rats. He was on all fours and letting them ride on his back. They were laughing and he could tell he was enjoying it too. He was envious of his new friend.

"Duke?"

"Yeah?" The weasel replied.

"You got a great family here."

"Thanks pal." The weasel said with a smile.

 **5:45pm**

Nick was walking Judy back to her place. They weren't arm and arm but they did walk closely enough to get a few stares. They arrived at the foot of her building.

Nick put his paws in his pockets. "Welp! This is your stop. See ya later fluff!"

"Where are you gonna go to rest?" Judy asked.

"I dunno. Don't have a place of my own yet. Barracks are too far. There are a few places that charge by the hour in the more seedy areas."

"Ewww! Do you really wanna sleep on one of _those_ beds?"

"Good point. Got any other suggestions Carrots?"

Judy turned a little bashful. "Well...you _could_ sleep at my place for a short while."

Nick acted mockingly startled. "Why miss Hopps! I do declare!"

"On the floor of course! It's not like there'd be any hanky-panky!"

"Well...not from _me_ anyway." Nick said with a wink.

"Knock it off! Do you want to sleep over or not?"

"Beats walking a few miles to find a place and it's only for a few hours. Sure, what the heck?"

They both walked into the building and up two flights of stairs to Judy's room.

"Now try to stay real quiet. My neighbors are real loud and REAL nosey. They got great hearing for antelopes. They can hear me whisper."

"Lovely." Nick said. "Got an extra pillow fluff?"

"Sure. But with your fur so thick right now, I'd doubt you'd need one."

Suddenly, they heard a voice from the other side of the wall. "WHOO! SOUNDS LIKE OUR LITTLE RABBIT'S GOT HERSELF A BOYFRIEND OVER!"

"WHY DON'T YOU MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS?!" Said the other voice.

"WHY DON'T YOU MAKE ME?!"

"WHY DON'T YOU SHUT UP!"

"YOU SHUT UP!"

The antelopes yelled back and fourth at each other. Nick was dumbfounded. "Your nosey, noisy neighbors I presume?"

Judy ears drooped in frustration. "You'd presume correct. Bucky and Pronk Pootosser."

Nick couldn't help but snicker. " _Poo_ tosser?!"

"WATCH IT FOX! WE COME FROM A LONG LINE OF POOTOSSERS!"

"BETTER A POOTOSSER THAN A POO _EATER_ CANINE!"

This infuriated Nick. "Why don't you come over here and say that to my face?!"

Judy tried to calm Nick down. "Never mind them. They're like this all the time. Just lie down and go to sleep."

"Alright then." Nick grumbled. He took off his shirt. Which took Judy by surprise.

"Nick!"

"What? It's just my shirt carrots. No need to get hot and bothered. Don't want my shirt to get wrinkled"

"Well...just make sure no other clothing comes off."

Nick laughed. "With all this fluff? I doubt you could see anything anyway. I can't wait to get rid of this winter coat. I look as fat as Clawhauser."

Judy gave some orders to Nick. "Well, I can't sleep in my clothes, so lie down facing away from me and STAY facing away!"

"Yes ma'am!" Nick replied and did as she asked. However, he could still see her in the reflection of the microwave as she undressed and got a good look at her backside while in her undies.

" _Thank the lord for reflective surfaces!"_ He thought to himself.

Judy got under her covers and set the alarm. "3:30am good?"

"Perfect. " Nick replied. "Goodnight Carrots."

"G'night Nick." Then, there was silence. Briefly

…...

…...

…...

….."HEY FOX! BETTER WARN YA! SHE FARTS IN HER SLEEP!"

Judy was furious. "You shut the hell up Bucky!"

Nick chuckled. "I'm saving that one for later."

 **December 24th, 3:45am At the Khan Warehouse**

"Gary looked outside the windows of the warehouse. A calm flurry of snow powdered the city. A little TOO calm."

"Gary, you're letting your inner monologue out again." Said Larry, a gray timberwolf who was another security guard at the warehouse and a childhood friend of the white wolf, Gary.

"He looked over the security cameras. Everything was going smoothly...A little TOO smoothly!"

"...Gary?...Gary!"

"A little TOO Gary!"

Larry gave his friend a little slap on the head. "Will you knock it off?!"

"Sorry, Gary. I just don't want to mess this job up. We've been through four other security jobs since that incident at the Cliffside Asylum."

"That's the asylum that was up on the side of the cliff, right?"

"OF COURSE that's the one Larry! Why else would they call it the Cliffside Asylum?!"

"Sorry Gary! Didn't mean to upset you, but I got a little Kitsmas present that may cheer you up!"

Gary's ears perked up. "Oooh! What is it? Is it a chew bone? Tell me it's a chew bone!"

Larry held up a spring of berries. "I got _missletooooe!_ " He pursed his lips in a kissing manner.

Gary looked disgusted. "Larry, for the 500th time, I'm flattered but I'm straight! You know that!"

Larry's ears drooped "Aww c'mon! It's a Kitsmas tradition!"

"No."

"C'mon Gary! It's what the internet fan base wants! I mean have you SEEN the fan art of us?!"

"Yes, because you keep posting it on the office fridge! Knock it off! People are talking!"

Larry's ears drooped in depression. Gary patted him on the back. "Look Larry, I'm flattered. Really. And you know I'l always be your best friend. We've been that way since elementary school. But I'll be your PLATONIC best friend. Nothing more. Can you just be okay with that?"

Larry looked at his best bud. "I think I can Gary, but I'll tell you how...in song!"

"No Larry. PLEASE NO! This is a fan fiction! A musical number doesn't work in literature!"

" _Gary you're my closest pal...My furry, funny friend!"_

"Where is this music coming from?"

"I hired a gerbil band. They're up on the high shelves."

"GOD! You're weird!"

"Lemme finish my song!"

"No!"

" _I love more than any guy or gal. I'll be there to the end."_

"Why me?!"

" _We keep going from job to job and I guess that's okaaay!"_

" _As long as we're together, though you're straight and...I'm...Gaaaaaay!"_

Larry started to dance around.

" _Beee-cauuuse we're...Gary and Larry security guards!"_

" _One is a dullard, the other's quite odd!"_

"Speak for yourself."

" _But to-ge-ther, we just can't be beat!"_

" _We'll kick your butt and put you out on the street!"_

" _Because we're Gary and Larry...Two peas in a pod!"_

"If you don't stop singing Larry, I'll kill you! I swear ta God!"

"You rhymed!"

"GAAAHHH!"

" _And when you're feeling down in the dumps.."_

" _I'll be there pal, to take your lumps!"_

" _Because we're Gary and Larry.."_

" _Our heads fulla rocks!"_

" _One sucks at his job, the other sucks...on lollipops!"_

"I thought we were gonna lose our T rating for a moment."

" _We're just two wacky, young timberwolves..."_

" _Who work for a paycheck and not for the lolz."_

Larry went over and grabbed some items. "Okay Gary! It's time for the big finale! Here, put on this top hat and cane."

"No! I ain't doin' it! I'm not taking part in your silly song!"

Larry got on his knees and begged. "PLEASE Gary! I worked so hard on this number! Finding the gerbil band was hard enough, but finding a store with top hats for wolves was dang near impossible!"

"I don't care! I'll look silly doing this!"

Larry whined and looked up as his friend with tears forming in his eyes. Gary finally caved in.

"Awww! I can't say no to those sad, puppy dog eyes! Gimme that stupid top hat and cane!"

"YES! Here ya go pal!" He handed Gary the items.

"...Why is their glitter on the top hat?"

"A top hat can't sparkle without glitter Larry!" Gary said angrily. Larry just rolled his eyes.

"Of course. How silly of me. By the way, how am I supposed to know the lyrics?"

"It's a musical number in a story Larry, you'll do it automatically. Make sure to do some kicks followed by a little soft shoe. Just follow my lead. Now hit the spotlights gerbils! 5...6...7...8!"

" _Beeee-cauuuse we're...Gary...and Larry..."_

" _Through thick and through thin.."_

" _If we stay determined, we just might win..."_

" _So to all you thieves, we'll knock you out hard.."_

" _Because we're Gary and Larry..."_

" _Security Guaaaarrrds!"_

"YES! Shouted Gary. "That was great!"

" _Because we're Gary...and Larry.."_

"Song's over Larry."

"Awww! I was just starting to get into it!"

Suddenly, a voice came over the intercom. "Would the two wolves in section 28 please stop doing a musical number and get back to monitoring the warehouse...OR YOU'RE FIRED!"

"Sorry boss!" Said the two wolves.


	5. Chapter 5: Attack of the Killer Gerbils

Chapter 5: Attack of the Killer Gerbils

 **A/N: The Doe lives!**

 **I've been thinking about it awhile (along with reading your reviews) and killing the doe secretary in chapter 2 really darkened the story in a way that was unnecessary. Even as I wrote it, I questioned if it was a good idea. I wanted to build up how evil the Kahn's were while adding a nice transition to the next scene, but this is supposed to be a more light-hearted tale so a murder didn't really fit in. With that in mind, I re-wrote that segment of the chapter a little bit. Besides, I don't really need to build up the "Shere Khan the Third" character until the Zootopia/Tale Spin crossover which I won't be writing for months and months from now.**

 **BTW, I'm real happy with the story structure in this chapter! It continues the story, but has it's own beginning, middle and end. Worked out well.**

 **December 24th 4:10am**

Nick and the gang arrived back at Honey's underground bunker. They weren't too keen on entering the sewers late at night, but everything went fine.

"So, everyone get enough rest?" Nick asked.

"Yeah." Finnick replied. "I crashed on Duke's couch."

"Yeah. We're like, best buds now!" Added Duke which got a bit of a glare from Nick.

"Nick slept over at my place." Judy added. This got a "Whooooo!" From the gang.

Judy blushed. "Hey! Hey! He slept on the floor!"

"That's true fluff." Nick confirmed. "Although your neighbors are right. You do fart in your sleep."

Judy's ears were beet red. "I DO NOT!"

Nick held up Judy's carrot pen. "I believe you were looking for this, this morning?" He pressed the button on the pen. A sound he recorded earlier played. It was Judy snoring followed by...another sound.

"ZZZZ...Snnnooorrrrrrrrk!...hhhnnnnnnrrrrrr... _FFFFRRRRRTTTT!_..."

Everyone laughed. Judy was furious.

"GIMMIE MY PEN BACK!" She snatched it from Nick's hands. "Some friend you are!"

"I'm just teasing you carrots. I actually added that last part myself." It was a lie, but it did make her feel better. Nick then turned his attention to Honey. "So how are things on your end?"

"Flash has got you listed in Khan's security system under false names and I have the I.D.'s to match. I'm Kayla Augustine."

"Pretty name for a pretty lady." Finnick added as a way of flirting with Honey.

"Awww! Ain't you sweet! Duke, you're Durke Daringberg."

Duke didn't seem to happy. "Yeah, great. 'Durke' is sooo much different than 'Duke'! They might as well cuff me now!"

Honey ignored Duke and talked to Nick. "Nick, you're Charles Winstington the Fourth. The new security adviser overseeing the warehouse. Me and Duke, I mean...'Durke' are your assistants. If you want to throw off suspicion, act like you own the place."

Nick puffed his already puffy chest. "No one tells Charles Winstington the Fourth what to do! Wow! That really is a stuffy name! I think this is going to go well!"

"What about me and Finn?" Judy asked.

"You two are our thieves. You won't need secret names. Just don't get caught."

Judy wasn't too happy about that. "Great."

"I've got something important for you two." Said Nick to Judy and Finn. "Stand side by side and lift your arms up like your under arrest."

Judy and Finn gave each other a confused look, but did what Nick asked. "Okay?"

Nick took out a small can of air freshener and sprayed Judy and Finnick all over. They coughed and wheezed and were obviously upset.

Judy coughed. "Hey! What's the deal?!"

"And why do we smell like sugar cookies?" Finnick added.

"Those security guards are wolves and they have an even stronger sense of smell than me! If you try to get past them, they'll smell you a mile away. However, it would be normal this time of year for them to smell some fresh baked Christmas cookies. It will confuse them, but at least they won't smell a small fox and bunny."

"Great." Judy said. "I'm surrounded by predators and smell highly edible."

"Well now you smell as delicious as you look fluff." Nick said with a wink.

Judy smiled. "That was either a flirt or I'm in big trouble."

Nick asked Honey. "So what's Flash doing during all this?"

Honey looked at Nick. "He'll keep an eye on the cameras from here. If anything goes south, he'll let us know quickly."

Flash looked over. "Don't...worry...Nick..."

"...I...got..."

"...this..."

"Thanks." Replied Nick, but Flash wasn't done.

"situation...under..."

"…..."

"...control."

Nick turned to Honey. "Yeeeah. I'm not gonna rely on him much to be honest." He then addressed the others. "Okay gang! It's GO time! Put your Kitmas costumes on and let's get going!"

Finnick and Judy didn't like their outfits. "How come our hats are so big?" Finnick asked.

"Because you may need to hide inside them. If you think they're about to spot you, hide inside the hats and press against the wall."

Judy was nervous. "This thing is sounding worse and worse all the time!"

Nick tried to comfort her. "Trust me carrots, it'll be fine. Also, put these bluefang earpieces on so we can keep in contact at all times. Now let's head out! Keep in touch Flash!"

"Will...do!" Said Flash.

 **December 24th, 4:45 am**

The gang arrived behind the warehouse. Nick turned around and started doing hand signals at Judy and Finnick. Judy, being very annoyed, slapped Nick's hands down and whispered to him.

"Will you knock it off! Unless you do sign language I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"You'd make a lousy baseball pitcher, fluff. I need you and Finnick to go around to the side. That's where the security offices are. You need to find a way to get the guards to leave so you can nab the keys. Meanwhile, me, Duke and Ho...Stacy, will see about getting the pallets onto the van. Stay out of view of the cameras above all else! So on my mark...3, 2, 1...break!"

The gang split up. Judy and Finnick headed around the corner while Nick, Honey and Duke just casually strolled into the garage.

Nick looked over at Honey and Duke. "Remember, act like you own the place!"

Nick shoved open the door to the warehouse. Strolling in with his Santa suit on and and wearing a pair of Hay-Bans sunglasses. Honey and Duke walked behind him. A ram overseeing the pallets walked over to Nick in a huff.

"You can't come in here! This is private property!"

Nick quickly flashed his library card. " Charles Winstington the Third..."

"Fourth." Honey corrected.

"...Fourth of Khan securities. Mr. Khan has sent me personally to make sure the freight transition goes over smoothly. I take it everything's in order?"

The ram was confused, but figured he was telling the truth. "Y-Yes sir! We're just loading the final van!"

"Good! Good!" Said Nick. "Kayla, Durke, inspect those pallets."

"Yes sir!" Honey and Duke said. "They went over and looked inside the boxes of freight.

"What da heck is this?" Duke shouted. " _'Meowana Doll of native girl land.'_ I don't think it's official. Look at this description.. _'Meowana set sail to fight baddy with help from her friend Supermouse, the mouse of steel. Together, they fought baddy known as Harry Porker and managed to nab the sorcerer's bone?'_ This is all mixed up!"

Nick looked over at the box. "Wait a minute. These are the bootleg toys! Are you telling me you've been filling these vans with the knockoffs?!"

The ram was even more confused. "Well...y-yes sir! These vans were going to the orphans."

Nick slapped his head and proceeded to rub his temples as if frustrated. "You...idiots! These vans are going to a special gathering for Mr. Khans business partners! The bootleg toys are going in the vans that are in the next garage over! Mr. Khan is going to have a fit when he hears about this!" Nick then proceeded to take out his phone and pretend to call Tiberius Khan.

The ram pulled down Nick's arm. "Wait! Wait! We don't need to tell him anything! I-I-I'll see to it that we swap the pallets out of the vans right away!"

Nick glared at the ram as he slowly turned off his phone. "See to it that it's done immediately. We need to stay on schedule. Put every mammal you have on it or it's your heads! My associates will be overseeing it."

"Y-Y-Yes sir!" Shouted the ram and he took off.

Honey smiled at Nick. "Yer good sugar. Damn good!"

"And here, my mother didn't let me go to acting school."

 **Meanwhile...**

On the side of the warehouse building, near the security room lay two Kitsmas hats resting. Suddenly, tiny little feet popped up from under the hats and started scurrying around. Judy and Finnick were under each one of the hats. Gary and Larry were still observing on the inside.

"How do we get them out of the room?" Asked Finnick.

"Maybe I can start a howl?" Judy replied. "It worked last time."

"There's only two wolves though." Finnick argued. "It might attract more guards."

Gary and Larry were inside watching the monitors. "This is sooo boring!" Gary moaned. "When's our break?"

"In about ten more minutes." Larry replied.

Judy and Finnick were right near the door of the room. Still hiding under their large hats. Gary started to sniff the air. The wolf could smell the two thieves.

"What's that I smell?" Gary wondered. "I think it's...sugar cookies! Larry, did you have your mom make her wonderful Kitsmas cookies this year?!"

"Yeah!" Larry replied. "I got a batch of them in the fridge inside the break room. Wow! You really do have a powerful sniffer! I had my mom make you a separate plate of them."

Larry hugged his friend Gary. "Awwww! Thanks man! I love you!...Platonically that is. Let's take our break early."

" _He said he loved me! I got my Kitsmas present!"_ Thought Larry.

The two wolves left the room. As they opened the doors, Finnick and Judy sneaked inside unnoticed.

Judy and Finnick took off their hats. "Nick had the right idea with that sugar cookie spray." Finnick replied. "Now, where are the keys?"

Judy leaped up onto the console and took a look around. "I don't see...wait! Hanging on that rack!"

Finnick looked around to see they keys hanging up on a wall off of a rack. "It's too high!" The fennec fox said. "Let me find something to..."

In a blur the keys were suddenly swiped and went missing. "What the?..."

Hiding high in the dark upper corners of the room came a high-pitched voice. "Looking for these, you THIEVES?!" The shine of the keys could be seen by Judy and Finnick.

"Hey!" Judy shouted. "Give those back!"

The tiny eyes of the mammal who stole the keys could be seen in the darkness. "These keys are staying with us..." Suddenly a dozen pairs of tiny eyes shown in the darkness.

"Uh-oooh!" Said Finnick.

"And you two are going to jail!" The creature peered into the light from the high shelves they were on. It was a dozen angry gerbils.

Finnick wasn't bothered. "Feh! I could take 'em!"

Judy couldn't handle their cuteness. "Awww! They're adorab-"

"BANZAAIII!" Screamed the head gerbil. All the gerbils leaped from the top shelf and onto Judy and Finnick. They overwhelmed the two. As they threw one off their back, another would attack again. Judy kept her own for a bit. She then pressed against her bluefang and talked to the others.

"This is Judy! I'm requesting back-...OW!" She yipped as a gerbil bit her arm.

"Confound these wretched gerbils!" Finnick shouted. "For every one I fling away, half a dozen more vex me!"

"This is no time for a Ducktor Doom meme!" Judy shouted back. As she tried kicking away the savage little rodents.

Meanwhile in the warehouse, Nick's eyes widened. They all heard Judy. He looked over at Duke who was looking at him in shock as well. "GO!" He mouthed to Duke without saying the words out loud.

Duke looked over at the mammals he was surveying. "Keep going! I gotta..ummm...hit the John fer a sec!"

Duke casually walked away until he was out of sight of everyone and then ran full steam.

Meanwhile, after a tough battle, the gerbils managed to pin both Judy and Finnick down.

"Well, well, well!" Said the head gerbil. "Looks like we got some thieves in our mists! You'll be in big trouble when the wolves come back. Looking to steal some toys from children?!"

"Just the opposite!" Judy said. "Khan is gonna give the children some cheap knockoff toys. We're trying to stop that!"

"Awww! Da poor widdle kiddies!" Mocked the head gerbil. "Here, let me play them a sad song on the world's tiniest violin."

The gerbil started playing "Beautiful Dreamer" on an actual, tiny violin. "It wasn't total sarcasm by the way. It really is the tiniest. Made the world record!"

Judy saw Duke near the door and decided to distract the gerbil. "You play beautifully!"

"Thank you! It's always nice to be apprecia-OOF!" Duke knocked the gerbil over and proceeded to attack the others. "Get yer stinkin' paws off my friends!

Judy was touched. "Awww! I'm a friend! I made a friend out of an enemy!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Duke replied. "Enough lovey-dovey! Let's kick some butt!"

The dozen tiny gerbils were no mach for the three small mammals. Duke pulled them off Finnick and Judy and they began to attack back. Finnick was still having trouble with them, but Duke and Judy's larger size helped even the odds.

"I got an idea! Judy shouted. "Finn! Open that large Kitsmas hat like a bag!"

"Oooh! I get it!" Finnick replied. He held open the hat. As Duke and Judy managed to pummel the gerbils, they grabbed them and threw them into the hat as quickly as they could. Once they got them all in, Finnick closed up the bottom of the hat and Judy managed to tie it to prevent them from getting out.

"You two stink at thievin'." Duek replied. "Nick shoulda just had me snatch the keys instead! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll take care'a dese clowns!"

Duke grabbed the hat full of gerbils and started slamming it against the wall. He said a word with each hit. "That's...for...hurting...my...friends!"

Judy stopped him. "Woah! Woah! That's enough! You're gonna kill them!"

"Don't worry flatfoot! They're fine! Look! I'll just untie the hat and YEEEESH! Okay, maybe I went a _wee_ bit overboard, but they're all breathing! They're just unconscious...and bruised...that one's bleedin' a little and that one's leg is going in the wrong direction, but otherwise, they're fine! I'll leave a note and you two grab those keys!"

Judy had an idea. "Finnick! Fastball special! Jump onto my feet!" Judy laid down and stuck her feet up. Finnick jumped up and sat on Judy's large feet. She kicked both feet hard and shot Finnick into the corner where the keys were.

"Got 'em!" Finnick shouted. "Now somebody help me down!"

Judy was suddenly startled as her ears shot up. "I can hear the wolves coming back! Duke! Catch Finnick now!"

Gary and Larry started heading back towards the security room. Gary was rubbing his belly. "Larry ol' pal! Yer mom's cookies are the best!"

"Thanks buddy! You still coming over for Kitsmas dinner tonight?"

"As always!...Wait a minute..." Gary sniffed the air. "Why do I STILL smell sugar cookies?!...and a weasel!" The wolves stormed into the room, but didn't find anyone. Instead, they found a Kitsmas hat that was starting to squirm with a note on it. "Do not open until X-Mas."

"That's horrible!" Shouted Gary. "I hate when they use an 'X' instead of the full Kitsmas name!"

Larry slapped Gary on the back of his head. "You free the gerbils and I'll contact the warehouse! We got intruders!"

 **Meanwhile...**

The ram came back to Nick. "Mr. Winstington!"

Nick forgot his own alias."Hunh?...Oh right! Me!...What is it?"

"We got the pallets all swapped and everything's still on scedu-" The ram was interrupted by a phone call. "Hello?...Mr. Khan!"

" _Uh-oh!"_ Thought Nick. _"I hope they got those keys!"_

"I just finished with the security advisor you sent!...What?! You didn't?!"

Nick and Honey started to back off. He then heard from Judy on his bluefang. "We got the keys!"

The two turned and started to run. Nick pressed on his bluefang. "Everyone head for the vans now!"

The ram realized what was happening. "Security! Everyone! Stop those thieves!"

Nick and Honey made a beeline for the vans. As they ran for their lives, they met up with Judy, Duke and Finnick. "Judy, you're with me and Honey! Duke! Finnick! Take the other van!"

The wolves had almost caught up with them. "We're not gonna make it!" Yelled Nick.

Honey however had an idea. "Go on ahead! I'll catch up!"

"Are you sure?!" Asked Nick.

"Positive."

They kept going. Honey turned around to face Gary and Larry. She remembered that she was still fully dyed as a skunk from yesterday. "You two better back off if you know what's good for ya!"

"Or else what?!" Asked Larry?

Honey turned around, pulled down her pants and mooned the two guards.

"SHE'S GONNA SPRAY!" Screamed Gary. "RUN!"

The two wolves ran in the other direction. Honey just laughed. "It's a good thing I'm so paranoid that I dye all the way!"

The gang was in their vans. Judy was behind the wheel. "Thanks for bringing the small mammal adapter Nick!"

"You're welcome. Trust me, you do NOT want me behind the wheel." He looked in the rear view mirror. "There's Honey! Start the engine and let's go!"

Honey jumped into the back seat and the van started to take off. However, it almost tipped over when the ram came out and rammed the side of the van.

"Keep going!" Shouted Nick. The vans took off.

Gary and Larry picked up the ram. He was furious. "You two idiots get in the cars and chase after them! I have to call Mr. Khan and let him know what's going on."

Meanwhile, Nick and Honey were cheering in the van. "We did it!"

Judy took the situation more seriously. "We're not out of the woods yet. We'll have to shake them off to make it to the orphanage and there's a good chance they know EXACTLY where we're going!"

"I'm counting on it." Nick replied.

Judy was confused. "What do you me-" She was interrupted by a call coming in. "It's flash!"

" _...Judy...Finnick..."_

" _...be...careful..."_

" _...there...are..."_

" _...gerbils..."_

" _...hiding..."_

"On the shelves. I know!" She replied.

" _...on...the..."_

"Oh my God! He's still going!"

" _...shelves."_

"Great timing Flash." Nick replied. "Greeeeat timing."


	6. Chapter 6: Have A Holly, Jolly Car Chase

Chapter 6: Have A Holly, Jolly Car Chase

 **A/N Anyone who's had pets near a Christmas tree will understand the tree ceremony scene in this chapter.**

 **December 24th 5:15am**

Tiberius Khan was sitting in his limo. He was waiting for a call to come back. The head warehouse manager, Mr. Ramses was telling him something about a security adviser that he knew he did not hire when the call was cut off. Fortunately for him, the phone rang again.

"Ramses. What's going on?!"

"Sir! Our vans have been hijacked! Some red fox and his friends tricked us and stole the vans full of toys! We've been had!"

"Calm down Ramses. Those were just the cheap knockoffs. Tell the orphanage the bad news that thieves had stolen their..."

"That's just it sir! The guy was so convincing that he had us replace the pallets of cheap toys and fill the vans with the good ones!"

The white in Tiberius' eyes turned red. "WHAT?!"

"There was at least five of them sir! I got the wolves chasing them down in one of our other cars now!"

"I'll send my best men to take them down. I need those toys to stay in good relations with my business partners! If I don't get those toys back, I'll not only fire you, I'll use your winter wool as my new Kitsmas sweater! Do I make myself clear?!"

"Y-Yes sir!" The ram hung up.

Tiberius looked over at the driver. "Cancel our attendance of the Kitsmas tree lighting. We're going to stop those thieves ourselves."

 **Meanwhile...**

Thankfully, the early morning led to empty streets downtown. This helped Judy and Duke speed through the city streets while being chased by Gary and Larry who were in a black car behind them.

"We gotta find some way to lose them!" Judy shouted.

"Hold on!" Nick said. He was on the phone with Sister Camella of the local orphanage. "Hello sister!...Khan Industries here...Yes, I realize it's early. There's been a schedule change and we'll be arriving with the toys by around 5:30."

"Are you sure we can shake them off by then?" A worried Judy asked.

"If my plan works out, we won't have to."

"I still don't get what y-" Judy was interrupted when the wolves' car rammed into the side of the van.

"Give it up thieves!" Shouted Gary from behind the wheel.

"We gotta lose them!" Shouted Honey. "I've got the EMP arrow! I'll just open the back and kill their engine with one shot!"

Nick crawled out from the front seat. "Allow me! I have the legacy of Robin Hood himself running through my veins."

Judy smacked her head in frustration. "Are you still going on about that?!"

All of the sudden, they heard a voice from their bluefangs. "Guysguysguysguysguys!"

"Flash!" Shouted Honey. "Took your energy drink I see."

"Icanchangethelights! Change'emchange'emCHANGE'EM!"

"The traffic lights? Great idea Flash!" Judy shouted. "We can keep traffic safe and possibly lose these guys! Just make sure to keep any pedestrian drivers away from our pursuit!"

"Whydoyoualltalksoslow?! The sloth replied.

As the vans sped past the traffic lights, they went from green to red. Gary stopped his car at the red light.

"What are you doing?!" Larry shouted. "We have to catch them!"

"Hey, just because we're in a chase, doesn't mean we can just disobey traffic laws!"

"WE'RE GONNA LOSE OUR JOBS!" Larry shouted.

"Good point." Gary sped the car through and pursued the chase.

Meanwhile, Tiberius was on the CB radio with his men from Khan towers who were now in their cars and in pursuit. "They may be heading near the orphanage. Cut them off by any means necessary. And I mean 'Any means'. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir!" Said the other guards.

Gary and Larry overheard on the CB radio and looked at each other. "He doesn't mean what I think he means, does he?" Asked Larry.

"I dunno." Said Gary. "But I don't like it. Let's try to stop them ahead of time to keep them alive!"

Judy and the gang also have the CB radios on the same frequency and heard for themselves. "This is getting serious Nick!" she shouted.

Nick kicked open the back of the van. He had the bow and arrows out. The cold wind made his long, winter fur flutter. Larry's jaw dropped. His eyes glazed over.

"He's...so...FLUFFY!" He grabbed his friend Gary and shook him. "HE'S...SO...FLUFFY!"

"Why are you acting mad about it?"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

Nick drew an arrow from the quiver. "Okay. Here goes nothing!" He pulled back and let the arrow go.

It missed.

"Dangit! Well, Still got quite a few mo-" A different security car smashed into the side of the van, causing the arrows to spill out of the quiver. Nick managed to only catch one as the other arrows spilled out.

Larry got on the CB Radio. "This is Larry Lupine in security car three! One of the thieves is a red fox! He is armed and extremely fluffy! Repeat! Armed and extremely fluffy! Like a big, red cloud! It's too much! I mean...I just wanna squeeze him until he pops and rains a confetti of fur!"

"That's a little more info than they need to know, Larry." said Gary.

Nick only had one arrow left. He took a deep breath and steadied himself. But with the van moving back and fourth, he couldn't get a good aim. "I can't do this!" He said to himself. But then, he heard a strange voice. Like someone was there to guide him.

"Steady there chum. You can do it mate! Deep breaths"

Nick looked back. He figured he was being delusional. That his mind was playing tricks on him, but there before him in a blue glow, was the ghost of Robin Hood himself.

"You can do it ol' boy! Remember, you have my blood in you!"

"I can do this!" Nick replied. The pulled back the bow and took a deep breath.

"Remember..." said Robin Hood. "...Aim for wind resistance!"

"Tally-Ho." Nick closed one eye to properly aim the arrow and let go.

Complete and total miss. The arrow hit the streets instead of the large car directly in front of him.

"Awww crud!" Shouted Nick.

Robin Hood was embarrassed. "Wow, you suck! I mean...really badly. You have brought shame upon the Hood name. I'm...not gonna tell your other ancestors I ever met you. Later loser!" His spirit started to dissipate.

Nick was mad. "Hey!...Robin Hood wouldn't say 'later loser'! Where's ye old English?!"

"Fek off, yeh tosser!"

"That's better, but still...screw you spirit of Robin Hood!" Nick crawled back to the back seats. Judy couldn't help but chuckle.

" 'Screw you spirit of Robin Hood?!' "

"It's...It's personal."

Judy was concerned. "Nick we gotta be careful! We're heading right for the tree lighting and marking ceremony!"

Sure enough, there it was. A large Kitsmas tree with a crowd around it. An early morning news van was there reporting the event and the mayor was up high on a podium.

"My fellow citizens! I thank you for coming out so early today...Not that kind of coming out sir! We have a parade for that in a few months. Please, put your clothes back on!...Ahem! As we do every Kitsmas eve, it is time for the annual lighting of the Kitsmas tree. This year, the switch will be turned on by the city's own, Chief Bogo! Chief, if you please?"

"My pleasure." said the burly buffalo. He pulled the large switch and the tree lit up bright.

The mayor spoke once more. "And now as tradition, wolf officer Wolford will mark the tree as his territory while his partner, tiger officer Fangmeyer will climb up the tree to drop and break the first ornament!"

Fangmeyer started to climb. "Not too high okay? I'm afraid of heights."

Wolford approached the tree and unzipped his fly. "Okay everyone, back off or else they'll need the wide angle lens fer this beast!"

Fangmeyer rolled her eyes. "Oh please! Just watch for any exposed wires! You wouldn't wanna shock 'Little Wolford'! "

Officer Wolford started to whiz on the tree. "Whoo! 'Tank God! My back fangs were floatin'"

"Whoo-Hoo!" Fangmeyer said as she stared down at Wolford from a high angle

Wolford was blushing. "Quit starin' and do your job!"

On one of the lower branches, Fangmeyer swatted and shattered the first glass ornament bulb which drew applause. Wolford wasn't quite finished when Judy and Finnick's vans smashed through the event. They managed to keep from harming anyone but knocked over several large props in the process.

Bogo saw what happened. "Wolford! Fangmeyer! To your squad car! I'll follow suit!"

"Aww man!" Wolford complained. "I'm in mid-stream here!"

"Suck it in and let's go!" Shouted Fangmeyer.

The wolves and the other two security cards smashed through the event as well. Gary was about to hit a large prop.

"MASSIVE FRUITCAKE!" Shouted Gary.

Larry was offended. "Heyyy! Words hurt, Gary!"

"No Larry! Look!"

They both screamed as Gary managed to barely dodge the giant fruitcake. It was then that Tiberius got back on the CB Radio.

"You idiots! What part of 'by any means' do you not understand'?! Those toys are not meant for the orphans but my business partners! The cheap knockoffs are going to the orphans! If they receive the quality toys, It'll cost a ton to replace them! Stop their van or kill them! That's an order!"

Gary and Larry finally figured out what was going on. Gary was stunned. "He...he wants us to kill these guys and stop the orphans from getting their toys!"

Larry looked at his friend. "Gary...we're working for a bad guy. Does...does that make us the bad guys too?"

Gary looked at his friend with a hint of somberness. "Yeah...I think so."

Larry started to cry. "I DON'T WANNA BE A BAD GUY!"

Gary rubbed his back. "It's okay buddy!...Larry?"

" _SNIFF! Y-_ Yeah Gary?"

"I think it's time we resign!" With that, Gary rammed his car into one of the other security cars and knocked them off the road.

Nick, Judy and Honey heard the CB radio conversation too and Nick then saw the wolves ram the other car in his rear view mirror. "Looks like we got some more people on our side!"

"But now we got a bigger problem!" Judy replied. "The cops saw me plow through! That was Bogo and Wolford I saw back there! They're gonna be chasing us too!"

"Good." Nick replied.

"GOOD?!" Judy snapped. "What's good about that?! I'll be fired for sure!"

"I got a plan." Nick replied. "Do you know the police frequency?"

Moments later, Chief Bogo, along with Wolford and Fangmeyer get a call through their radio.

" _This is officer Judy Hopps! Cadet Nick Wilde and I along with Mr. Wilde's friends have managed to regain the stolen vans full of toys from the would-be thieves! We are on route to the orphanage to deliver them now! Could use an escort."_

Bogo was pleased. "Excellent work Hopps! We'll be there shortly!"

Judy then looked over at Nick. "Well that works, but what about Khan's guards?! If they don't kill us, they're bound to tell Bogo the truth!"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it carrots. Besides, we do have _some_ ammo on our side." Just then, Nick got a call from Finnick. "Yo Nick!"

"What's up big guy?"

"There's a news van following me and Duke! What should we do?"

"Be friendly! Smile at them and tell them to follow us."

"Really?!...Okay dude."

Finnick stuck his head out and smiled and waved at the news van only for one of the security cars to drive near him. A coyote holding a gun aimed at Finnick. Finnick barely managed to dodge the shot.

He called back to Nick. "Nick! We're being shot at! With REAL bullets!"

"I heard!" a panicked Nick said. "Keep going!" He then got on the phone with Flash. "Flash! You're tracking us by GPS right?"

"YES!Yesyesyesyes!ThisRedBuffalotastessogoodI'vehadthree!"

"Three?!" Honey said. "He's gonna kill himself!"

Nick talked to Flash some more. He had a plan. "Flash, I need you to create a traffic jam. We need to lose these guys desperately!"

"GonorthonFauna! OnceyougetpastFifthandFauna,I'llmakealllightsgreenonfifth! Shouldjamitupgood!Jam!Jam!JAM!"

Nick was concerned. "They got real bullets?! How?!"

Judy replied. "Cap Suzette doesn't have the same gun laws we do. They're guns are lethal. Seems like Khan imports guns to his tower guards. Those ones are the real deal!"

They headed down Fauna ave and the others followed suit. Gary slammed into one of the security cars again only for the guard driving to shoot at them. The bullet hit Larry's arm, causing him to bleed.

"LARRY!" Gary screamed.

"I'm okay buddy!" Larry responded. "It grazed my arm!"

Gary started to drive away. "I'm gonna take you to a hospital!"

"No! Keep going! We gotta stop these guys!"

Nick and Duke's vans got past Fifth. Flash switched all the lights to green and the cars came from all directions. The two security cars weaved and came to a stop. Gary and Larry managed to dodge and squeeze through, while the police and news van didn't quite make it.

"It worked!" Shouted Judy. "We're gonna make it!"

Finnick hugged Duke in the other van. "We're gonna make it buddy! Whoo-Hoo!"

Everyone got their Kitsmas costumes adjusted and were ready to stop the van in front of the orphanage.

However, their cheers and elation turned to horror when they finally stopped. Their headlights shone onto Tiberius Khan. He was standing there with his guards having their guns drawn. A very upset Sister Camella was standing beside them.

"Oh no!...NO!" Shouted Judy. "There goes my career. We're done for!"

Nick had a look of determination. "No, we're not. Follow my lead."

Duke tried to back up his van and make a break for it. "Back it up!...Back it..."

 _BLAM!_ A shot went through the window and nearly struck Duke. "Nevermind! We're good here! We're good!"

In full Kitsmas attire as Santa Paws, Nick leaped out of the van and climbed to the roof. "HO! HO! HO! Merry Kitsmas!"

"Stuff it!" Shouted Camella. "Mr. Khan told us all about your little scheme! Those are nothing but cheap knockoffs in those vans you stole!"

"That's not true!" Shouted Judy. "He's lying! He's been robbing the kids of good toys for years!"

Tiberius spoke to his guards as he pointed at Nick and crew. "Gentlemen, arrest those thieves!"

Nick, Honey and Judy climbed onto the van as the guards approached them.

"W-Wait!" Judy yelled. "He's lying! I can prove it!"

The other guards nabbed Finnick and Duke and cuffed them. "Well, at least I can see some of my old friends in prison."

Judy could hear a siren approaching in the distance. Her breathing got heavy and fast.

Tiberius smiled at the rabbit. "You honestly thought you could steal from _ME?_! My other guards and the police will soon be here. They'll find out the truth and you'll be off to jail with your career and reputation ruined...officer Judy Hopps."

Judy was shocked that he knew her name. She was done for.

The tiger gave a toothy grin. "It's over. You've lost!"


	7. Chapter 7: Just When You Think It's Over

Chapter 7: Just When You Think It's Over

"It's over. You've lost!"

Judy looked worried, but Nick looked confident. Honey had her hands up and Finnick and Duke were already pinned to the ground. All hope seemed lost. But then they heard a siren blaring.

Tiberius smiled. "Ah! I hear the police arriving. It seems you'll be going to jail shortly."

"Maybe..." Nick replied. "...Or maybe not."

It was not a siren, it was a howl. Larry was howling with his head out the car as Gary came in at full speed. He skidded and stop just short of hitting the vans.

"Hold on!" Shouted Gary. "Khan's the real crook!"

"Yeah!" Larry added. "We heard everything over the CB Radio! He wanted us to kill these guys and switch the vans back to the cheap toys! His goons even shot me!"

Sister Camella, the camel nun was shocked. "Is this true?!"

"Of course not!" Tiberius chuckled. "They were obviously in on the whole thing!"

"What are you talkin' about?!" Gary replied. "We were hired on as guards at the warehouse over a month ago and I have paperwork to prove that! We didn't know of your scheme until you blabbed it over the radio! We will NOT be one of your hired goons!"

Tiberius had a smug look on his face. "What proof do you have? I'm a respected and popular businessman and you people are nothing! It's my untarnished word against yours!"

Nick danced around and cheered. "Whoo-Hoo!" He started singing. _"I get to say it! I get to say it!"_

Tiberius couldn't believe his eyes. "You've gone insane!"

Judy was confused at first, but then understood. A smile came on her face as she patted her side and realized her favorite weapon was missing.

"Allow me to explain." said Nick. He proceeded to bring out an item from his coat. The guards drew their weapons. "Don't shoot! It's not a gun!...But it is mightier than a sword." He pulled out Judy's weapon.

Tiberius was confused. "A...carrot?!"

"A carrot pen with audio recording abilities. NOW I GET TO SAY IT THIS TIME! Ahem! You see, it's not _our_ word against yours, it's _your_ word against yours." Nick clicked the button on the pen. And Khan heard his own words come back to haunt him.

" _You idiots! What part of 'by any means' do you not understand'?! Those toys are not meant for the orphans but my business partners! The cheap knockoffs are going to the orphans! If they receive the quality toys, It'll cost a ton to replace them! Stop their van or kill them! That's an order!"_

A smug grin came across Nick's face. "Check and mate. It's over...YOU lost!"

Sister Camella was furious. "You...monster! No wonder the children's toys always broke after a few days! How selfish!"

"SHUT UP!" Tiberius snarled. "Guards! Climb the van and..."

Nick held up the pen. "Nah-ah-ahhh! What are you gonna do? Attack all of us?! The nun and the children spying through the windows are all witnesses and I KNOW you're not dumb enough to harm them! The police are coming and we have evidence and witness testimony INCLUDING a nun! Hold this for me, would you carrots?!" Nick threw the carrot to Judy.

Nick jumped down off the van and approached Khan. "Here's what's going to happen. You're gonna call off your goon squad, including the ones currently trying to get through a traffic jam we created AND the ones currently pinning my friends. Then, the kids will get the hot toys they've been wanting and everyone gets a happy ending! Except you of course."

The nun was cross (no pun intended...okay, maybe a little). "Well I'm not satisfied! You want my silence? It'll cost you! I want two million dollars to renovate the orphanage."

Tiberius growled at the nun. Nick just laughed. "Lady I like the way you think!"

"FINE!" Khan snarled. "Guards, let them go and get back in the car." He then got on the CB Radio. "This is Khan. All units move away and head back to the tower. We're done here." He then put the CB back. "Anything else?"

"Yeah." Nick replied. "Whatever's left over will be distributed to the poor districts and you'll receive a police escort so their won't be any funny business. Also, you will never...EVER rip these kids off again because me and Judy are gonna make sure that bit of evidence gets copied and filed away!"

The guards let go of Finnick and Duke. Finnick gave the one guards a kick on the shin. "I could-a taken ya if I hadn't been caught off guard!"

The blare of police sirens could be heard. Nick stood in front of Tiberius. Despite his small size, he didn't back down from him. "I want to show you something Mr. Khan." He held up his paw and showed the burn mark. "27 years ago, you burned me. Today, I just burned you back!"

Khan smiled. "I'll give you credit Mr..."

"Wilde. Nick Wilde."

"Mr. Wilde, you've got guts, but remember..." Khan popped a large claw out and punctured one of the van's tires with ease. "It's not wise to mess with a Khan!" He then entered his limousine.

"That's a nice threat, but you just ruined one of your own vans, dummy."

In the limo, Khan got on the phone with one of his associates. "Hello Richard? You did record a list of which toys went to whom right?...Excellent! I need you to get on E-Hay and buy every toy on that list!...Yes, overnight shipping on all of them! Money is no object!" He leaned back and rubbed his temples. "I'm going to take such a bath on this!"

Everyone cheered just as the news van arrived. Nick saw Judy on top of the van. "Catch!" Judy shouted. She leaped off and into Nicks arms where he spun her around into a huge hug.

"That was brilliant Nick! I was too focused on driving to use the carrot!"

"I told you we had extra ammo. Thank goodness for Deus Ex Carrota!"

Finnick was so happy even he gave Judy a hug from behind and mussed with her ears. "Yeah! Can I get a victory 'toot-toot'?"

Finnick, Judy and Nick pumped their arms together. "Toot!-Toot!"

Just then, the children all came out and rushed over by the vans. "Slow down! One at a time!" said Sister Camella.

Nick and the gang in their Kitsmas gear started handing out the presents to the orphans. A little ferret girl rushed up to Finnick. "I got a Hatchimawatchamacallit! Thank you Santa's little helper!" She gave Finnick a big, warm hug that put a huge smile on his face.

Nick saw it for himself. "Now there's a rare sight!"

The other children came up and got different presents from Nick, Judy and the others. "I got Flopkins!" shouted a small doe. "Yaaay! A Star Boars spaceship!" said an excited little pig.

A young giraffe girl got a doll from Nick. "A Lettuce Patch giraffe doll! Oh, thank you Santa Paws! Thank you!" The giant giraffe picked up Nick and squeezed him until he thought he was gonna pop. She finally let go and dropped him.

Nick took a second to recover. "Sheesh! Annoying girl. Glad I won't be seeing her again!"

Sadly for Nick, Suzie the giraffe would eventually become his annoying, but well meaning neighbor.

Just when Nick thought he was done with hugs, Larry came up and glomped onto him. "We did it! We beat 'em!"

Nick was a little confused. "Oh! Uhhh...you're one of the security guards right? Thanks for helping...Hello?"

Larry was starting to rub his face on Nick. "Sooo...soft! Like a red marshmallow!"

"O-kaay! I'm officially getting creeped out here!"

Gary came over. "Dangit Larry! Do you want harassment charges filed on you again?"

"But, he's sooo fluffy!"

Gary had enough. "Look...if you let him go, I'll... _SIGH!..._ I'll give you that stupid mistletoe kiss you wanted. But not in front of anyone! I got a rep to maintain!"

Larry finally let go of Nick. "Really?! Okay!" He turned to Nick "Sorry about that handsome. See you around!" The wolf left, but not before giving Nick a little pinch.

"Woah!" Shouted Nick.

Judy came over. "What happened Nick?"

"I'm not sure, but I think that wolf just gave me a Kitsmas goose!"

The crew of the news van came out and reporter Fabienne Growley came over to interview Judy just as the two cop cars had arrived.

"This is Fabienne Growley at Sister Camella's orphanage where it appears that off-duty officer Judy Hopps and her friends have thwarted some would-be thieves from stealing two van-loads of toys meant to go to the needy children of this city. Judy can you tell the good folks watching at home how you and your friends managed to overtake the vans from these scoundrels?"

Judy was put on the spot and was a bit nervous. "Oh! Well, ummm...We were ummm...walking past a gas station when we overheard the thieves who...stopped to get gas for the vans. They foolishly were bragging about what they were up to."

As Judy was trying to make up a story, Duke jumped in front of the camera. "Yeah! And 'den I was all like, 'not today pal!' and we pounced on 'em! 'Den I gave 'em a right! And a left! And one a 'dese!" Duke kicked in the air and promptly fell on his back. "OW! Cramp! Cramp!"

Chief Bogo appeared from behind. "Haven't I seen you at the precinct before?...In cuffs?!"

"Y-Yeah Mr. Buffalo Chief...sir! But I'm a changed weasel!"

"That's right!" Judy added. "I've managed to reform him into an honest citizen. He even works in construction now."

"Yeah! Yeah!" Duke added. "Here! Let me give you my business card!" Duke started handing out business cards to everyone nearby. "Just tell 'em Duke sent ya and you'll get a five percent discount!"

Bogo raised and eyebrow and spoke with sarcasm in his voice. "Wow. Five percent. Thanks."

The reporter spoke up. "If we could get back to this case, chief Bogo, how do you feel about officer Hopps taking on such a risky task off-duty?"

"I think it's very commendable." Bogo replied. "They'll be a nice bonus for you for doing this."

"I'd skip a bonus for a day off tomorrow!" Judy replied.

"I'm sorry Hopps, but there's too many officers in hibernation right now. We need every mammal on the job."

"Judy's ears drooped. "I understand." The she saw Tiberius coming back out of his limo and thought of a sneaky plan. "Miss Growley, I can't take all the credit, Duke Nick and my friends helped, but these children wouldn't have these toys today if it wasn't for the time and generosity put fourth by Tiberius Khan and his 'Toys for Cubs' campaign. Isn't that right Mr. Khan?"

Khan looked confused. "Why...yes! Yes indeed."

Judy turned her attention to chief Bogo. "Now while the chief is here, I was thinking it might be a good idea to have the police escort the toys to the less fortunate children from now on. We can even check the packages to make sure there hasn't been any kind of 'switcharoo' done! What do you think chief?"

Khan sneered, but Bogo looked pleased. "Yes! I think that's a wonderful idea. We would be more than happy too!"

"Wonderful." Khan said with a sarcastic growl. Judy was pleased with herself. This kills any switching of toys for bootlegs in the future.

Meanwhile, Gary had gone over to the ally with Larry and was ripping apart his undershirt.

Larry was concerned. "Gary! Yer gonna catch yer death 'a cold!"

Gary wrapped a ripped part of his ripped shirt around Larry's bleeding arm and used it as a tourniquet. "I'll put my other shirt and jacket back on in a sec. You're still bleeding."

"Thanks Gary. You're a good friend. I love you pal!"

"I know. _Believe me_ , I know! Annnd since you did get injured...I guess I owe ya that Mistletoe kiss. BUT NO TOUNGE! You tricked me last year!"

Meanwhile, Wolford was heading towards the same alley. "Gotta go! Gotta go! Stupid car chase cutting me off mid-stream!" He finally found a spot to relieve himself. As he was marking the wall, he turned his head to noticed a shocked Gary and Larry on the other wall in mid-kiss while Gary was shirtless.

Gary was horrified. "This isn't what it looks like!"

"None of my business pal. You don't mention me whizzing in public, I won't mention that."

"...He took a bullet to the shoulder and I had to use my undershirt as a tourniquet!"

"Okay."

"...I'm straight. He's my best friend and he's nuts about me so every Kitsmas I just give him one mistletoe kiss."

"Fine."

"...I'm not gay."

"I don't care!" Shouted Wolford. He then looked over at Larry. "Your buddy's got a problem dealin' with his own masculinity."

"Tell me about it." Said Larry.

Gary was a bit upset. "Heeey! I'll have you know I'm as tough as they come! We're security guards! Or...at least, were."

Wolford corrected him. "Masculinity ain't all about bein' macho and tough. It's about being yerself and not givin' a crap about what other people think! You wanna give yer pal a kiss on Kitsmas? Go ahead! It doesn't make you less of a man!"

"See?" Larry said with a smug look on his face.

"You can shut up!" Wolford said to Larry.

Larry was surprised. "Me? What did I do?"

"Well it sounds ta me like you've been harassin' yer best friend inta bein' in a relationship he don't wanna be in! Also, just because you're comfortable with who you are don't mean you can go around rubbin' and gropin' people! I saw you grab Miss Hopp's fox friend on the rear. He didn't ask for that! Respect people's personal space!"

Larry bowed his head. "You're right. I'm sorry." He turned his head to look at Gary. "I'm sorry too pal!"

"Ehh, I'm used to it." Gary replied. "So umm... officer..."

"Wolford."

"You know of any security jobs opening up?"

Wolford gave the two wolves a "Junior Officer" badge sticker each, "Why don't ya try for the police academy? With your security experience, I'm sure you'll make fine officers."

Gary looked pleased. "Thanks! We'll go for it!"

"Glad ta hear." Wolford replied as he left. "See ya around!"

"See ya!" Gary and Larry said together.

Gary looked at Larry "Think we should tell him he didn't tuck in and zip?"

"I think he'll figure it out pretty quick." Larry replied.

The news van had gotten their story and left. Fangmeyer was laughing at Wolford who finally zipped up his fly. Tiberius got into his limo and took off. Gary and Larry headed out to Larry's mom's house on a bus. Judy met back up with Honey, Duke and Finnick. "Well, we did it guys! How about we get Nick and go have a celebration breakfast? My treat!"

Duke and Finnick both had bundles of toys in their arms. "Sorry flatfoot." Duke replied. "But me and Finn are gonna go make my kids ferget all about their old dad with all these toys we got!"

Honey patted Judy on the back. "And I'm gonna go back to the bunker and check on Flash. He hasn't called or texted me back and I'm a bit worried since he took three of those energy drinks."

"Well I guess it's just you and me Nick!...Nick?" Judy turned around and had to laugh.

Nick dressed as Santa Paws was covered in cubs, kits and pups all hugging him and taking pics with him. "Hee-Hee! All be there as soon as I can carrots! I'm having too good a time right now! HaHa! Okay, C'mon guys! Santa's got more presents to deliver!"

Judy smiled at the scene. She turned around only to bump into Bogo who was looking stern at her. "Oh! Hello chief! Did you have any other questions?"

The buffalo glared at Judy. "I'm trying to figure out that if you and your friends managed to steal the vans from these thieves, then who were you being chased by when you drove straight through the tree lighting ceremony and endangered civilians?"

Judy quickly tried to think of something. "It was ummm...the thieves gang! Yeah! They had connections and their gang was chasing us!"

"This gang had cars with the 'Khan Towers' logo imprinted on them?"

"...OH! Ummm...I guess they stole those cars too! After all, they stole the va-"

"STOP IT!" Bogo shouted. "I don't know why, but you're lying to me and I don't like it! When you come into work tomorrow I expect you to see me in my office before you start your shift. I expect a full report and THE TRUTH of what went down this morning! Friends don't just hang out at 5:30 in the morning! You'll come see me and tell me everything. Do I make myself clear?!"

Judy felt backed into a corner. The relief she felt earlier that they had gotten away with it was now gone and replaced with dread. "Y-Yes sir!"

"See you tomorrow." Bogo turned and left in his squad car. Judy was left stunned. Stunned and worried about what tomorrow had in store for her. Would she tell the truth? And if she did, it may not only end her career but put her friends behind bars. It just may be her worst Kitmas ever.

Nick finally came up to her and put his arm around her. "Well that was fun! So carrots whaddaya say we finally get this fur trimmed before I get molested again...carrots?"

Judy stood frozen for a second. Nick was looking concerned. "Judy?...You okay?"

Judy snapped out of it and feigned a smile. "Oh! S-Sure! Yeah. Let's go get your fur trimmed. Then we can go to the mall for a little bit. I need to shop for your Kitsmas gift after all!"

"You want me to help shop for my own Kitsmas gift?"

"Sure! Why not? I'll save money on a bow and gift wrap."

"Makes sense." Nick replied. "Nobody knows what Nick Wilde likes more than me. Especially expensive things!"

"Don't press your luck." Judy replied.

They walked off together towards the bus stop. Nick noticed Judy was shaking.

"You sure you're okay fluff?"

"Y-Y-Yeah. Just cold I guess."


	8. Chapter 8: Party of One

Chapter 8: "Party of One"

 **A/N: Another original song! Yaaay! Anyway, I guess a little more background into Honey's character needs to be detailed in order to understand this song better.**

 **My vision for Honey's character that was discussed a little bit by Nick in the "My Turn To Drive" fanfic, is that for a long time, she was the third member of Nick's con team and the first woman he ever mated with, but that relationship went nowhere because Honey has low self-esteem. Besides being a paranoid recluse, over the years, she's been a "friends with benefits" kind of girl and Nick couldn't respect that part of her, where Finnick didn't care as much. Over time though, Finnick did start to care and love her even though he had a hard time showing it. So the song is mainly about how she is so "loved" by many, but at the end of the day, ends up alone in her bunker.**

 **Looks like this story will be going one more chapter over than anticipated, but I got a doozy of an ending planned. BTW, how's my songwriting skills? Please let me know in the reviews. Thanks!**

 **December 24th 7:30am**

Duke and Finnick had arrived back at Duke's brownstone apartment with a pile of presents in their arms. The weasel managed to fumble through his keys and open the door with his foot.

"Merry Christmas kids! Yer uncle Duke and Finnick got ya Christmas presents!"

Seven small rats came out and tackled Duke and Finnick down. They immediately started tearing into the gift wrapping. Duke was a bit upset, but Finnick couldn't help but laugh. Out came Duke's fiance', Rosetta who watched the kids open the gifts.

"Where did you get these gifts?!" she asked.

"From 'Toys for Cubs!' " Duke replied. "I told ya me and my friends were gonna go out and get some toys!"

Rosetta leered at him. "Did you steal them?!"

Duke was shocked. "What?...No!" She leered at him so hard he could feel her stare tear through him. "Well...not exactly. I mean, legally, they're mine!"

"Tell me the truth!" She yelled.

"It's a long story babe, but basically Tiberius Khan who runs Toys for Cubs has been screwin' kids out of good toys by switchin' the pricey ones with bootlegs. We did a little breakin' and enterin' and stole his vans full a good toys and delivered them directly to 'da orphanage! Nick Wilde got dirt on Mr. Khan so he couldn't do nuthin and we got 'da kids their presents! I was even on the news this morning! Honest!"

"That's the short version, yeah." Finnick replied.

"Duke Weaselton, what have I told you about breaking the law?!" Rosetta shouted.

"But babe, it was for the greater good! One of our gang was even a cop! The same one who arrested me before I went legit!"

Rosetta was angry. "Here I was thinking you were bettering yourself."

"I am! I just...I'm a weasel! I gotta get some cheatin' and stealin' outta me from time to time or I'll go crazy! You know what it's like!"

"What are you talkin' about?"

"You're constantly snitchin' on me, the children, even yer friends! You always rat 'em out!"

"That's different! I'm not breaking any laws!" She then looked over at Finnick. "It's because you've been hanging with these degenerates isn't it?!"

Finnick looked shocked and offended. "Hey! I just helped deliver your kids some great Kitsmas presents!"

"Yeah!" Duke replied. "He don't deserve that! Finnick's a good guy Rosey! Just give him a chance!"

Rosetta glared at Finnick. "Foxes are nothin' but sneaky little low-lives out for themselves!"

Finnick was getting pissed. "People say the same thing about rats y'know?!"

Duke was trying to intervene. "Everyone just clam down! It's Kitsmas!"

Rosetta gave Duke an ultimatum. "Duke...either he goes, or you _both_ go!"

Finnick was shocked. "..WHAT?! After all I did?! Duke, you gonna let her treat me like that?!"

Duke was pleading. "Rosey honey, PLEASE! I'm beggin' ya!"

Finnick pulled on Duke's arm. "C'mon man! Bros before H-...nevermind."

Duke looked over at Finnick with shock and anger in his eyes. "What did you say?!"

"N-Nuthin! I stopped myself so I didn't say it!"

"But you WERE gonna say it! You callin' my girl a 'ho'?!"

Tears were starting to form in Finnick's eyes. He didn't get too many opportunities at finding good friends and he didn't want to blow this one. "No! No I didn't! Duke please! I-I'm sorry!"

Duke looked disappointed in the fennec fox. "Finn...I think it's best if you leave."

Finnick couldn't help himself. Tears were falling down. "Please Duke. It's Kitsmas...p-please don't do this...You're my friend. I don't wanna spend the day in a cold van!"

"I'm sorry Finn, but if it's between you and her, I gotta go with her. Please understand." He went and got out a business card. "Here! Call my construction agency. I'll put in a good word for ya and we can hang out there!"

Finnick took the card and looked at it for a second. His anger boiled up and his pride got in the way of common sense once more. He ripped up the card in front of Duke. " #$% YOU! I DON'T WANNA WORK WITH SOME TWO-FACE AND I DON'T NEED YOU!" Finnick ran out of the brownstone with tears raining down his cheeks.

Duke chased after him for a short while. "Finn! C'mon man!...Finn!" It was took late. Finnick had already took off.

 **Meanwhile...**

Honey had arrived back at the underground bunker. She looked around for Flash. "Flash? Flash sweetie! We won! Mr. Khan had to give the good toys up!...Are you okay?...Flash!"

She went around the corner where his PC workstation was, but he was gone. In his place he left a note and a gift box. Honey picked up the note.

" _Honey, I had to leave due to chest pains. Those drinks are killer. Priscilla came and picked me up. Thanks for letting me be part of the team and thanks for a wonderful night time last night. XXX OOO Flash."_

"Of _course_ he left." She said. "Another day alone for Honey." She started opening her gift. She let out a big sigh and sang.

" _My nights are always warm, but the days are always cold."_

" _I'm forever loved, but always left alone."_

" _Some men always want me, but they always go away."_

" _They all want to come...but they never want to stay."_

" _Party of one. Party of one."_

" _When it's all over, said and done."_

" _I'm a party of one. Party of one."_

" _They always leave once they've had their fun."_

" _And I say who can blame them? I'm obese and weigh a ton!"_

" _Always a friend, but in the end..."_

" _...I'm just a party of one."_

" _Why do I put myself through this torture?_

" _When will this lonely heart ever heal?"_

" _Maybe if I was just a tiny bit bolder.."_

" _...I could tell them all just how I feel."_

" _Party of one. Party of one."_

" _When it's all over said and done."_

" _I'm a party of one. Party of one."_

" _This ugly duckling can't be a swan!"_

" _Making love isn't being loved. When will I find my onnnne?"_

" _Always a friend, but in the end.."_

" _I'm just a party of one."_

" _Always a friend...but...in the end..."_

" _I'm just a party of one."_

" _A party...of onnnne."_

"Merry Kitsmas Honey." She said to herself. She finally opened up her gift. "Fruitcake?! Seriously?!"

 **11:30 am Downtown District**

Nick was walking with Judy towards the mall. He'd finally got his fur trimmed, but now, even with his thick jacket, he was shivering. Judy noticed right away.

"Are you okay Nick?"

"F-F-Fine! I-I'm fine!"

"You're shivering!"

"I think they trimmed me too much."

"You've had a winter coat on for awhile. You need to get used to it."

Nick looked down at Judy. "Y'know, you're shivering a bit yourself fluff."

She looked away, still thinking about Bogo. "Y-Yeah. But I got different reasons."

Nick knew something was worrying her that she wouldn't talk about. He then got a sly grin on his face. "I think I got us a way from both shivering." He tightened the bottom of his jacket tight and zipped it up halfway. He then pick up a surprised Judy and placed her inside of his jacket cradling her inside.

She giggled. "What one earth are you doing?!"

"Keeping us both warm. You with my jacket and me with your body heat. I'm also giving you some much needed rest."

"Sly fox." she said putting her head on his chest. She loved it in there. It was quickly becoming warm inside the jacket and she loved snuggling up to Nick. She then started to laugh. "HAHAHA! You're pregnant with me!"

This made Nick laugh in turn. "Heheh! Yeah. I got a bunny in the oven!"

Judy laughed for a bit, but then started to bawl. "HAHAHAHAHa...ha...ha...AAAAAAHHHH HAAWW HAAAWW!"

Nick saw Judy bawling. "I knew something was upsetting you! What is it?"

"B-Bogo didn't believe my story! He...He wants me to tell him the truth tomorrow morning. I can't lie to him! I CAN'T! He knows! AAAHHH! We're all going to jail and I'm gonna lose my job!"

"No we're not."

"Yes we are! Th-Then he's gonna pick me up, call me a loser and gore me with his horns!"

Nick laughed. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"Just stress...I've been having nightmares."

Nick sat on a bench and put his arms under his jacket. "Everything we'll be fine! We're not going to jail."

"H-How do you know that?!"

"Think about it for a second. What would have to happen for us to be arrested?"

Just as Nick was talking to Judy inside his jacket, a nosy hippo lady walked past and stared. Nick gave her a dirty look. "Do you mind lady? I'm trying to console my child!"

Judy thought for a moment. "Khan would have to press charges!"

"Right! And he never will as long as we hold that evidence over his head. See? Nothing to worry about."

"Except Bogo can still fire me. Think of everything we did! Breaking and entering...grand theft auto..."

"Imitating Santa Paws without written consent."

"Don't make light of this!"

"I'm sorry fluff, but it won't happen. I don't believe for one second that Bogo will fire you. You're one of his best officers! I know for a fact that when you tell him the truth tomorrow, everything will work out fine. You just have to have the same faith that I do."

"Faith in what?"

"In the church of Judy Hopps. Lately, it's been my religion."

She poked her head out of his jacket and kissed him on the cheek. "Sly fox."

"Big crybunny." He got up off the bench and started walking towards the mall. Getting off the bench was a bit tough while carrying Judy. "Whoof! You gotta lay off the carrots, carrots!"

"Oh shut up!...So how are you doing at the academy?"

Nick looked away from her. "Fine! I'm doing fine."

Judy was suspicious. "You don't look certain."

"I'm passing...mostly."

"Niiiick."

"Okay, my physical training is going well. My academic...not so much."

"Nick it's important you get through all your classes! I don't want to wait forever to have you as my partner!"

"I'm fine with calculus, but a lot of the legal mumbo-jumbo is tough! I swear I'm doing my best! It's just...I thought being sly and clever would translate easily into being wise enough to pass the exams. Guess I'm not as smart as I thought I was."

"You _are_ smart enough! You just need some help. If you ever get stuck on anything, please feel free to call me. You know I'd help you in a second."

"I know fluff."

Moments later, they arrived inside the mall. A suspicious security guard saw that Nick had a bundle in his jacket.

"Sir. Are you sneaking something in?"

Nick opened his jacket and Judy popped out. Nick then gave the guard a dirty look.

"What I can't sneak food into the mall now?" This made Judy laugh pretty hard.

The guard left and Judy gave Nick a flirty look. "Why Mr. Wilde, are you saying you're gonna eat me?"

Nick's eyes almost popped out of his skull. "Judy!"

Judy just rolled her eyes. "Relax, I'm just kidding! So, you know Nick Wilde best, what would he want for Kitsmas?"

"Hmmm...I'm not sure what Nick Wilde wants for..." Nick's smart phone started to buzz. "Hold on, Nick Wilde is getting a text. Nick Wilde is starting to feel weird talking about himself in the third person."

Nick looked at the texts on his phone. Judy noticed that he was squinting and then holding his phone away from him. "Oh boy. Oh no."

"What is it?"

"It's Finnick. Listen to these texts."

" _You and that stupid bunny cop can kiss my $$! I hate cops! I hate bunnies!"_

" _Women ruin everything!"_

" _You can all go to hell!"_

Judy was shocked at the texts. "Sweet biscuits! He texts like Donald Trunk! What the hell is his problem?!"

"The poor guy."

" 'The poor guy?!' Did you read what I read?"

"I know Finnick better than anyone carrots. These are the kinda texts he sends when he's upset and hurt. Duke must have kicked him out and he wants me to come over."

"THAT'S what you got from those texts?!"

"Trust me, I speak Finnick. He's too prideful to admit when he wants a shoulder to cry on. I'm gonna go buy some egg-nog and whiskey and head to the van. If I take a Zuber, I can make it over there in about ten minutes. You can shop for me by yourself this way! I'll meet you in an hour at the food court."

Judy was disappointed she'd not have Nick around for a little bit since her time with him is short. "Well...okay, but try to be back in an hour!"

"Will do." said Nick and he left.

About 15 minutes later, Nick arrived at Finnick's van. "Hey big guy! What's going on?!"

"G-GO AWAY!" Finnick sobbed. "I WANNA BE LEFT AAA-AALONE!"

"Finn! I got Egg-Nog and whiskey! Your Kitsmas faaave!...Finn?"

"...AWWRRROOOOOOO!"

"Oh man! He's really heartbroke. He never howls." Nick slowly opened the van door. "Finnick? I'm coming in okay?"

Nick looked around inside the van, but couldn't find Finnick. "Where'd you disappear to?" He finally heard sniffling coming from inside the stroller in the back of the van. He opened the stoller up to find Finnick bundles up inside with tears running down his cheeks.

"Don't m-make fun!"

"Are you kidding? The stroller is the warmest, softest spot in the van. Especially without the heat on. I'm jealous I can't crawl in there myself."

"Duke's stupid wife kicked me out. He took her side! I didn't even call her a ho! I almost did and then stopped myself! I thought I finally had a new friend who would be there for me. I thought maybe, just maybe I could be a part of this little rat family! That someone would give two craps about me for once! Nick...why do I have such a hard time making new friends?"

"Well, to be honest, you're kind of an $$hole."

"HEY!"

"It's true! Hold on...do you want me to put the spiked egg-nog in your beer ba-ba?"

" _SNIFF!_ Yes please...I really liked Duke. Why did his stupid wife have to hate me so much?!"

Nick fixed up Finnick's drink while he talked. "Well, you tend to have a bit too much pride. You put up barriers around you so you don't get hurt which often times leads you to getting hurt more. You need to open up a little. Like with Honey."

Finnick snatched the bottle back once Nick filled it. "What about Honey?"

"You love her, but the most you do is flirt with her a bit because you know she'll put out without you having to go the extra mile of admitting your feelings."

"I love her deeply, but you know how she is! I just can't..." Finn then got a call from Honey. "Heh! Speak of the devil!"

He put the phone up to his ear. "'Sup baby!...Yeah, I'm free. I cut Duke loose. He was holding me back."

Nick just rolled his eyes as Finnick kept up his conversation. The fennec fox's eyes got bigger and a smile came across his face.

"Do I what?...Will I what?!...Oh baby you knoooow what I like! See you soon!" He hung up the phone and jumped out of the stroller. "Later loser! I'm off to get me some!"

Nick grabbed his arm before he could leave. "Hold on. I believe we were discussing this exact thing."

"I ain't got time for anymore talk!"

Nick grabbed him and sat him down in front of him. "Yes...you...do! This is exactly the moment you've been waiting for! If you go out there and have a one night stand right now, that's all you'll have. I know you want something more with her, so why not go for it?! Be romantic! Give her flowers! Take her out to dinner! Tell her your feelings, but most of all compliment her and make her feel special! You know how she has that low self-esteem problem, so build her up! You'll never have a better shot at a true relationship with her then you will right now!"

Finnick thought about it for a second. "...You're right Nick...YOU'RE RIGHT! I'm gonna go for it! I _have_ to! I'm gonna buy her flowers and take her out and everything!"

He jumped up and hugged Nick. "Thanks junior."

"You're welcome pops. Don't do anything I wouldn't do. Actually, scratch that. Do EVERYTHING I wouldn't do!"

Finnick chuckled as he left the van. "Adios suckwad!"

Nick was left sitting with a baby bottle full of spiked egg-nog. He looked at it for a second. "Well...'waste not, want not.' " He then chugged the bottle down.


	9. Chapter 9: Awkward Dinners

Chapter 9: Awkward Dinners

 **A/N: While there's technically no domesticated animals shown in Zootopia (Minus the housecat on the "Fancy Cat" magazine cover that LionHeart was reading during the credits and was in Mancha's mailbox during a deleted scene), I couldn't pass up the Husky joke when it entered my head. I thought it was too funny to pass up.**

 **BTW, How's THAT for a chapter cliffhanger?!**

 **December 24th, 12:25pm**

Nick arrived back at the mall and met up with Judy again who had a bag full of goodies. She looked at him and noticed something was different.

"What's up with your face? You look a bit flush."

"I may be a weeee bit...bit tipsy! Finnick didn't finish his ba-ba, so I finished it for him. Therrr whiskey may have been a bit stronger than I thought."

"Well, let's get some food and coffee in you. It'll absorb some of the alcohol. You should be ashamed! Drinking in the afternoon."

They walked towards bug burga. "I'm sorry fluff. Finn got a call from Honey. I guesh they were both lonely sho they're hooking up and he left quickly. Didn't want the egg-nog to go to wayshte."

Judy sprung up to the counter. "Oh look! They got paper menus." She handed one to Nick. "I wanna see what their veggie options are."

Nick took the menu and went over it. Judy noticed the same thing as earlier. Nick would squint at the menu, then pull it away from him.

"THAT'S IT!" She yelled.

Nick jumped back in fear. "What?! What'd I do?"

"You're far-sighted! That's why you're having trouble reading small text!"

"Well...yeah! Been like that for years. So what?"

"Don't you see? This...THIS is why you're having trouble with your academics! You're having trouble with the text! I know EXACTLY what to get you now! I was gonna give you this expensive Roladucks watch, but instead, we'll go over to the eye center and I'll get you some glasses!"

She bought Nick a bug burger and coffee that he quickly wolfed down and it helped sober him up a bit. She then grabbed Nick by the paw and pulled him away from the food court.

Nick was a bit disappointed. "Wait! I want the Roladucks! Glasses are too practical."

"Of course it's practical!" Judy replied. "After all, I'm practical-ly perfect in every way."

"Well thank you, Mary Hoppins."

 **Meanwhile...**

Finnick arrived at the outside of Honey's bunker. He wore his best bowling shirt and had a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates with him. He was ready.

"Okay Finn." He said to himself. "You can do this. Hit her hard and fast with your love and don't quit. She's gonna block. She always does. This is a fight! I gotta knock her out with compliments and break through! You can do this! You can do this!"

"What's the password?" She said from the other side of the door.

"I love you."

"WHAT?!"

"I love you! Please! Open the door. You KNOW it's me!"

Honey was hesitant, but unlocked the locks. After ten minutes of unlocking, she opened up to find Finnick standing there with his fancy shirt, roses and chocolates.

"What in the world are you up to?!"

"Right now, I'm standing in front of the most beautiful, the most wonderful woman I know and telling her I love her."

"You're drunk!"

"Yeah. I am drunk. I'm intoxicated by your beauty."

This knocked Honey back. "DAMN!"

" _Got the first hit in!"_ Finnick thought to himself.

"Honey, I'm sick of this just being a one night stand and I think you are too! I want to be with you! Not just tonight. I wanna wake up in the morning and stare at your beautiful face.."

"Stop it!"

"Feel your big, wonderful rump..."

"You mean my huge, fat ass."

"It's a GREAT ass! My favorite ass ever!"

This made Honey giggle. "You're serious aren't you?"

"Like a heart attack. I wanna wake up one morning with you on top of me, snoring away. I can barely breathe while you're drooling all over my head and gassing me with your halitosis. That's my paradise right there!"

She started to laugh. "Some paradise. C'mon Finn! How could anyone ever love someone as ugly as me?"

"Dammit Honey! That's all in your head! I've never met someone like you before! You're smart, you're funny, you're crazy as they come! I love you. No more games. No more other guys comin' over! Just you and me!"

"C'mon Finn you can't mean..."

"You want me to live here permanently? I would sell my van for you."

That did it. She started breathing heavily. Tears started running down her cheeks. "Finn, sugar! D-Don't sell it! Not for me! That van is your entire world!"

" _Uppercut!"_ He thought. This was his big opening.

"From now on, YOU'RE my entire world! I don't know how many times I gotta say it, but I'm not gonna stop! I...love...YOU!"

She started to cry. "Ooooh...BAYBEEEE!" She hugged Finnick and started to kiss him passionately. "I love you too you little Romeo! Let's go to the bedroom!"

"No."

"No?"

"I gotta wine and dine my baby first!" Finnick said with a smile. "I'm gonna take you to the nicest restaurant I can afford! But first, can you please...PLEASE get that skunk dye off you?"

"Sure, but...that dye got EVERYWHERE y'know?" She said with a very flirtatious look. "Every little nook and crack. I'm gonna need some help. Care to join me?"

"Like you gotta ask?" Finnick said as he started to remove his clothing.

She started to remove her clothing as well as she headed towards the bathroom. "So this is real now? I'll wake up tomorrow and you'll still be here?"

"Yup."

"Finn honey...don't sell your van. We'll work something out."

"Okay, my love."

That sent shivers down Honey's spine. "Oooooh! You little...Get in the damn shower!"

" _Knockout!"_ Finnick thought to himself.

 **2:00pm**

Nick had taken his eye exam and was selecting his glasses. "What do you think carrots?"

"Why do you want the thick rims?"

"Glasses are sexy nowadays! Besides...it's like I have a secret identity. During the day, the mild-mannered Bark Kent, at night...Superfox!"

Judy giggled. "Well, it's your Kitsmas gift. Whatever makes you happy."

"Thanks carrots. You're always looking out for me. I hope my Kitsmas gift for you tomorrow night shows my appreciation."

"Well, I got to admit, you got me REAL curious. I'm guessing it's not just a dinner?"

Nick smiled. "It's not."

"So what's next?"

Nick gave a big sigh. "Next...we go meet my mom. I'm dreading this."

"Why? Does she hate me?"

Nick laughed. "Quite the opposite! She won't stop talking about the woman who saved her son from a life of crime. It gets real annoying real quick. The main stuffing you'll be eating is praise and compliments all night long."

Judy chuckled. "Sounds great! Let's go."

"We can get there in about 2 hours by bus. _SIGH!_ She's so nuts about you, she's already wondering when I'm going to marry you."

Judy laughed. "WHAT?!"

"I know! We're not even dating! Do you now how annoying it is when someone is pressuring you into marriage?!"

 **4:00pm**

"Why don't you wanna marry my son?! Give me one good reason!"

"Because I'm straight Miss Lupine!" Gary shouted to Larry's mother. "You know this! I've been coming over here since I was a pup!"

"I just want what's best for my son and you've always looked after him. We both love you and want you in our family. Can't you...I dunno, come to some compromise?"

"No Mary. It would be a bigger disaster then that Husky he used to date."

 **2 Years Ago**

Larry was out at a fancy cafe with his husky malamute boyfriend.

"Ruff, the past two months have been wonderful. You finally stopped drinking out of the toilet and let's be honest, no one sniffs my crotch better than you, but I feel like there's a lack of communication between us! I give so much and you never give me anything in return! Do you even love me? Because I've never even heard you say it. Not even once! Ruff, if you want this to last, then tell me! I want to hear 'I love you' come out of your lips just once. Please!"

"RRRRYE ROVE RRROOOOO!"

"Stop being silly Ruff! Just tell me! Please!"

"RRRRRRYE RRROVE RRRRRROOOOOOOOO!"

"You know what? Forget it. I can't take this heartache anymore! Goodbye forever Ruff!"

Larry stormed out of the restaurant.

"RRRRAIT! RON'T REEVE REEEEEEE!"

The waiter then arrived. "Here's your check sir."

"RRRRIXTY RORRARS?! AWWW RRRRIT!"

 **Back to December 24th 4:05pm**

"That guy really put the 'mute' in 'malamute'." Larry said. "But mom, Gary's right. He's my best friend. I can't force him into a relationship like that!"

Mary was disappointed. "I know. It's just...after your dad left me, Gary was always there for you like a big brother. His family even helped out when I was struggling to make ends meet! That's why I wanna keep him in our family!"

"Well, I love him, but waddya want me to do about it?! If you want him in the family so bad, why don't YOU marry him?!"

Gary ears perked up. He looked over at Mary and Larry. "Ummmm...What?"

While Gary was sitting, Mary went over and put her arms around his shoulders. "That's actually not a bad idea! Gary, you're in your mid 20's, but I'm not in my 40's yet. I had Larry at a very young age. I know you're only a year older, but he's always seen you as a father figure after his lousy dad divorced me. You're practically family already."

Gary's ears were turning red. "W-Well...I don't know! I mean. I have always found you attractive, miss Lupine, but ummm..."

She played with Gary's ears. "Gary sweetie, can you do me a favor?"

"S-Sure Miss Lupine! Anything!"

"Call me Mary. Come with me to the bedroom. I need help with my...'stuffing'."

Mary pulled Gary along to the back of the house. "Well...okay Mary, but that's an odd place to cook stuffing! You could burn the house down!"

Mary slapped her forehead and thought to herself. _"Why do I always end up with the idiots?!"_

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick, with Judy back under his jacket, arrived at his mother's house. He put on his new glasses and wore a hat to disguise himself. He knocked on the door.

" _TAP! TAP! TAP!"_

Nick's mother, Vivian opened the door. "Who is it?"

"Good evening madam! I'm with Publisher's Clearingmouse. I was wondering if you'd like to subscribe to any of our fine publications!"

Nick didn't fool Vivian for a second. "Knock it off Nick! And what's with the glasses?"

Judy pops her head out of the jacket. "I bought them for him Miss Wilde. He's been having trouble reading his text books."

Vivian squealed in delight. "EEEEEE! Judy Hopps! I've been dying to meet you! C'mere!" She pulled Judy out of Nick jacket and gave her a huge hug. She rubbed her cheeks all over Judy's. "Ooooh! My son's savior! It's so wonderful to see you!"

" 'Savior' is a bit much, don't you think?!" Nick asked.

"Hush puppy! She's done more for you than Finnick has in the last twenty years!"

Vivian put Judy down and they all started entering the house. "Finnick taught me how to survive! I really wish you'd give him a chance!"

"HELL NO! You wouldn't have stayed away from me all these years if it wasn't for him! All he taught you is how to con people out of their money and live under a bridge!"

"Mom, this conversation is like a Kitsmas cartoon special. It reruns every year!"

As Nick and Judy sat down at the kitchen table, Vivian ignored her son and turned her attention to Judy. "So Judy, I can't thank you enough for what you've done for my idiot son. Even your Kitsmas gift is to help him improve himself!"

Judy replied. "Well, he told me he was slipping in academics, so..."

Vivian smacked Nick over the head. "Nicholas Piberius Wilde! You told me you were doing just fine!"

"OW! I am! In my physical training anyway."

Judy added "I saw him having a hard time reading a menu and I put two and two together that he was far sighted."

Vivian started heating up the dinner. "You see? What would you ever do without her? You NEED her Nick! You know what I'm talking about!"

Nick rubbed his temples. "PLEASE not this again!"

"What?! I think you two would be a perfect match! You told me she was naive and not very street smart."

Judy glared at Nick. "Hey!"

Nick looked back. "You know it's true fluff."

Judy just pouted. "Yeah, well...still..."

Vivian kept up the argument while preparing dinner. "You can show her the ropes and she can help you in your training and inspire you! You'd make the perfect team!"

Nick argued. "But we're already a perfect team! We're gonna be partners! I'll be seeing her 8-9 hours a day every day!"

Nick put up a good argument, but Vivian got straight to the point. "I want grandkits."

Nick and Judy were both shocked. "Mom...you KNOW that's biologically impossible right?"

"You could adopt! And then maybe..." She started to sniffle. "...maybe I could babysit them and you'd come over more often."

Nick felt guilty. "Mom...you know I come over as much as I can! My life is always busy!"

"BULLSHIT!"

"MOM! Not at the table during Kitsmas!"

She bowed her head in shame. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to swear."

Judy hopped off her chair and rubbed Vivian's arm. "Vivian...Nick's my very best friend. He's saved me as much as I saved him. I'll always be there for him. I promise. And...who knows what the future holds?!"

Nick was a bit taken back by this. He tried to change the subject. "So! Um...is dinner almost ready?"

"Yes, Mr. 'Change the subject when it's getting good'! I even made some of your favorite."

She set the dinner plates down. Nick was pleased. "Homemade mac and cheese! My fave! Awww! Thanks mom!"

"Anything for my ungrateful baby!"

Two hours pass. Some of it pleasant. Some of it awkward. Vivian was still pressuring Nick on getting more romantic with Judy, but he'd manage to fight off most of it without being offensive to his future partner. It was time for Judy to go home and rest for tomorrow.

"Well, it's been a lovely visit, but me and Nick have been up since 4 am today and I need some sleep! I got a big day of work tomorrow."

"Why were you up at 4am?" Vivian asked.

"I'll explain later..." Nick said. "but...you might not like it."

Before Judy left, Vivian pointed up at the top of the doorway arch. "Are you two forgetting something?!" There, on top of the arch was some mistletoe.

Nick rubbed his face. "Oh boy! You did think of everything, didn't you?!"

"Damn straight." Vivian said with a smirk.

Nick bent down and looked at Judy. "Well...tradition is tradition."

Judy blushed a little. "Yeah. I guess it is."

"Well then, as a gentleman, allow me to lead." He bent over and touched Judy's head. He leaned in and started turning her head to give her a kiss on the cheek, but the clever bunny surprised him by turning her head back, reaching up and quickly kissing him right at the center of his muzzle, taking him by surprise.

"I'm no gentleman." Judy replied.

Vivian pumped her fist. "YES! Now that's what I'm talking about!"

Embarrassed, Nick turned around and talked to his mother. "Do you ever stop?!"

"Nope! And all your fur just got a lot more red."

Judy started to leave. Nick stayed behind to sleep in his old room and spend Kitsmas day with his mom.

Judy waved goodbye. "See you tomorrow night!"

"See ya fluff!" Nick replied.

Vivian stood by Nick as Judy walked off. "Son, if you don't escort her to the bus stop right now, I will beat your ass until..."

"I'm going! I'm going!" Shouted Nick. "Hey carrots! Hold up! I'll walk you to the bench."

 **December 25th 9:10am**

Bogo was finished with briefing the officers on their assignments. "Dismissed!" He then turned to Judy. "Officer Hopps, I want you in my office in ten minutes!"

"Y-Yes sir!" A nervous Judy replied.

This was it. She knew she had no choice but to tell the truth. Bogo could see right through her. Would she be fired? Would Bogo understand why she did it and let her off the hook? She knew that Nick was right. At least her friends would not go to jail without Khan being able to press charges. She sat on a chair in front of Bogo's office. _"Well..."_ She thought to herself. _"At least it can't get any worse than getting fired."_

"Come in!" Bogo shouted from behind the door. Judy hopped off the chair and opened the door to walk in. As she came into the room, a look of sheer horror etched across her face. There, standing behind Chief Bogo was Tiberius Khan himself looking smug as hell. Sitting on a chair in the corner with handcuffs on and still in his morning pajamas was Nick, looking like a man about to head to the gallows. His ears drooped and his bottom lip trembled.

"H-Hey carrots. Think your dad can use one more farmhand?"

Bogo glared at Judy. "Hopps. Take a seat."

" _It got worse!"_ She thought. _"MUCH worse!"_


	10. Chapter 10: Joyful and Triumphant

Chapter 10: Joyful and Triumphant

 **A/N: I've written quite a few Zootopia stories now and I always tend to focus on Nick as the hero and not so much on Judy. Even though she was the main character in the movie, I found it harder to write some strong moments for her since she tends to be more of the "straight man" to Nick's comic relief. This is why I wrote the next scene, to give her character a lot of strength and resolve. I don't want her to be a naive, dumb bunny who has to be rescued by Nick all the time. She should be doing the rescuing herself.**

 **December 25th 9:20am**

" _It got worse!" Judy_ thought. _"MUCH worse!"_

There in front of her, yanked out of bed in his pajamas and in handcuffs no less was her best friend, Nick Wilde. Behind Chief Bogo was Tiberius Khan himself. Judy knew that whatever was about to go down, it wasn't going to be pretty.

"Allow me to speak on behalf of the chief." Kahn said, which got a puff of hot air to come out of the angry chief's nostrils. "We have made a deal. I have confessed to chief Bogo of my wrongdoings in my plans to deliver bootleg toys to the poor children and orphans while profiting off the donated, quality toys. Now, it would look bad on ME for my part in deceiving the children, but it would also look VERY bad on the police department having a decorated officer committing grand theft auto as well as breaking and entering. Can you imagine the scandal?! How broken the trust would be in our police officers if this information were to come to pass? So, I have agreed NOT to press charges on you and your friends for breaking into my warehouse and stealing my vans on the condition that you hand over your carrot pen with the incriminating evidence AND the expulsion of Nick Wilde from the police academy."

Judy was shocked. "NO!" She cried.

"I consider it a very good deal." Khan responded. "I wanted you fired as well, but your stubborn chief absolutely refused."

Bogo just sat there with an angry look on his face. Refusing to reply.

"Furthermore the police will NOT be interfering in my charity next year. The game is over miss Wilde, you've lost. Hand over the pen...NOW!"

With tears in her eyes, Judy looked over at Nick. He stared back. "It's okay carrots. I'll figure out something. I always do. Don't give up your dream for me."

Judy took the carrot pen out of her pocket and stared at it. She remembered the fond memories this pen held. Nick would have never agreed to help her if she hadn't recorded his confession and they would have never bonded into a team. They would have never caught Bellweather. She wouldn't even still had this pen if Nick had not decided to keep it long after they broke up. Why did he keep it? As a memento? Was there still a longing for her she didn't know about? It didn't matter now. The pen would go to Tiberius and Nick would never be her partner.

Tiberius was getting impatient. "Hand it over already! It's bad enough I have to replace all those toys for my business partners and that blasted nun stiffed me for 2 million dollars for her silence. I'm a busy man so give me that pen!"

" _The nun."_ Judy thought. _"She needed 2 million dollars for restoration? But...Ah!"_

Judy looked up at Tiberius. "No."

Khan, Bogo and Nick were shocked. Khan looked angry. "What did you say?"

"I...said...NO! I will not be giving you this pen."

"Deja Vu." Said Bogo.

Nick smiled "Oh yeah! I said the same thing to you whe-"

"Shut up!" He replied

Khan was getting furious. "Give me that pen already! Do you want you and your friends to go to jail?!"

Judy stood up on her large chair and faced down the mammal four times her size. "I'm not going anywhere! I was thinking, you took a real big gamble confessing the toy switching to chief Bogo. Did you forget the part where you ordered your men to fire on us?"

"I have every legal right to protect my property. Including using lethal force."

"It's the children's property! In any case, it seems like a VERY risky move. I was wondering why? Then it hit me. Sister Camella. She stiffed you 2 million for her silence for restoration to the orphanage. The thing is, she shouldn't have to since 'Toys for Cubs' is not just a toy donation charity, it's a _financial_ one that brings in millions of dollars throughout the year! That money is supposed to be used to help the needy and repair and help upkeep orphanages nationwide. So why is sister Camella's orphanage in need of repair?"

"None of your business!" Khan growled.

"I'm gambling me and my friends going to jail that you want this evidence sooo badly because while replacing the quality toys with cheap ones just to give them to corporate partners would make you look bad I'm sure, but the media and possibly the federal government would start investigating where the money was going. I'm gambling it all that the tax exempt charity money is going right into your pockets! That's why you want this pen so bad. You're profiting off of people's good will and stiffing poor children and orphans in the process! It's worth going to jail for a bit to bring you down for good!"

"I'll be ruined!" Kahn lunged for Judy. "Give me that pen!"

Bogo turned around and grabbed him tight getting right into the tigers' face. He slammed Khan against the wall. "You wont touch her you slimy bastard! One more move like that and I'll put you in the slammer myself!"

"Excuse me chief." While Bogo was holding on to Khan's arms, Judy jumped on top of his head and stared down Tiberius eye-to-eye. "Here's the way it's going to go down stripes. I'm keeping my pen. I'm keeping Nick. I'm gonna copy this evidence and the ZPD will lord it over your head for the rest of your life. You are going to leave right now. Next year, if you're still doing this charity for public image, the ZPD will be watching you VERY closely and if the chief doesn't mind me going over his head..."

Bogo looked up and smiled. "In this case literally. Feel free Hopps. You're doing good."

"..We're going to have someone in financial go over your records each year to make sure your charity is legit from now on. With that, we'll pretend this conversation never took place and nobody outside of the four of us in this room will know what a filthy slime bag you REALLY are!"

Tiberius said nothing, but bared his fangs at Judy.

Judy just gave a smug face. "It's called a hustle, sweetheart."

Nick smiled. "Technically, it's my catchphrase, but she says it better."

Khan looked at Bogo who still had him pinned. "If you don't mind?.." Bogo let him go and Khan straightened his suit. He then headed toward the door. "Remember this, you have made a powerful enemy today!" He then slammed the door behind him.

"...And brought him down with a carrot pen." Judy replied,

"Ummm hey guys?" Nick replied. "Before we start to celebrate, could someone get these handcuffs off of me?"

Bogo walked over with the keys. "Not so sure I should. From what I understand, you were the one who started this bloody mess!"

Bogo took the cuffs off and Nick ran over to hug Judy. "Carrots, you were AMAZING! You're my knight in shining copper badge!"

"Thanks Nick, Once I figured it out, I knew he couldn't go through with it. I wasn't about to let my partner go."

"Speaking of..." Bogo said. He got up into Nick's face. "This young woman risked a lot for you after you conned her into this! If I see so much as a B minus on your next tests, you'll be eating buffalo chips for breakfast! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!"

"Y-Yes sir!" Nick replied in fear. "Now can someone get me a jacket or something? I was snatched up in my pajamas and I'm freezing! I look like a Walrus-Mart customer!"

"Clawhauser will give you an emergency blanket and poncho and we'll get you a police escort home." Bogo glared at Nick. "The next time you think of getting Judy involved in some illegal activity, it better be undercover or I'll have your head mounted on a plaque! Now get out!"

"Y-Yes sir! Merry Kitsmas! _Sigh!_ My mother's gonna bite me when I get home." Nick left promptly.

Bogo then turned his attention to Judy. "As far as you're concerned..."

Judy looked away. "I know sir. Please...yell at at me. You have every right to!"

Bogo smiled. "Not today. You get a free pass."

Judy was surprised. "...Sir?"

"Hopps..I want you to look up at that painting on the wall."

Judy looked up at a mural above Bogo's desk. It showed two parents and their son. "Is that you and your son?"

Bogo laughed loudly. "Thank you miss Hopps! That's the best compliment I could have gotten! No. I'm the son in the middle. Look closely at my father."

Judy took a better look. "The horns curve upwards...He's a bull!"

"Correct."

"Your father's a bull?...You're adopted?"

"Also correct. The most wonderful man I've ever known. Him and my mother took me in when I was already a troublesome teen and helped discipline me into the fine man I am today. I owe everything to him. But that's not what I wanted to talk about. The orphanage I grew up in was the only life I knew for a long...long time. I had nothing but my other foster siblings. Kitsmas was the whole world to us. We looked forward to it each year. One year, 'Toys for Cubs' gave us a huge supply of 'donated' toys. We noticed right away that there was something off with them. They looked like the real deal, but they felt cheap and some of them broke right away. The day after Kitsmas, a fire broke out that consumed the whole building. Ten of us were injured...three...three were killed."

Judy gasped. "Oh my God!"

Bogo took a deep breath and swallowed. "It was later revealed that some of the toys delivered were highly flammable. The Khans took the lives of three of my foster siblings that day. That's why I'm not the least bit mad at you. Heh! If Nick had given me the offer, I might have taken it myself. So...thank you Hopps. You did good detective work today figuring out he was stealing the charity money as well."

"...Sir? What I did was still wrong."

"YES IT WAS! So don't ever do it again. Never jeopardize your career like that. But in this case...just this case, I'm glad you did. Now! Let me show you my Kitsmas present for you. I think you'll like it."

Judy followed Bogo out the the garage. There it was. Judy's eyes lit up.

"A police cruiser? I finally have a police cruiser?!"

"It's all yours, Hopps." Bogo replied. "It even has telescopic pedals and steering wheel so any size mammal can drive it. Not...mice or anything of course."

Judy jumped inside. "I love it! Thank you sir!"

"Don't mention it. Take it for a spin! Also, no quotas today. Although I'm sure you'll come up with your own quota to beat."

Judy revved up the engine. She then asked Bogo to come over. "One more thing sir.."

Bogo bent down to meet Judy at the window. "Yes Hopps?"

Judy leaned over and kissed him quickly on the snout. "Merry Kitsmas."

Bogo blushed as he smiled. "Merry Kitsmas."

Bogo watched her drive away only to turn around and see Clawhauser gushing over the whole thing.

"Ooooh Chiiiieff that was so adorable!"

Bogo was embarrassed. "GET BACK TO YOUR DESK!"

 **Judy's Kitsmas Patrol 11:35am**

Judy watched as the driver she pulled over walked on the chalked out line. He sang as he walked the line forwards and back heel to toe.

" _Five Gold Riiinnngs! Four calling birds. Three french hens. Two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear treee!"_

"Perfect!" Judy noted. "Looks like you are sober. Sorry I pulled you over."

"Think nothing of it! My alignment is off so it tends to veer to the right."

"Well, please take care of that soon." Judy replied. "And have a merry Kitsmas!"

"Merry Kitsmas to you too!" The driver said as he pulled off. Just then, the CB blared. _"All nearby officers please respond. Citizen is being held captive in his own home. Carolers refuse to leave."_

"This is officer Hopps! I'm on it!" The bunny sped away to the scene. Sure enough carolers in front of the door had trapped a zebra inside his home. They were still singing.

" _Now bring us some figgy pudding."_

" _Now bring us some figgy pudding."_

" _Now bring us some figgy pudding."_

" _And a cup of good cheer!"_

"What's figgy pudding?!" The zebra shouted. "How can I possibly make a cup of good cheer?! Please leave! I've called the cops!"

" _We won't go until we get some."_

" _We won't go until we get some."_

" _We won't go until we get some."_

" _So bring it right here!"_

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?! I CAN'T POSSIBLY MEET YOUR DEMANDS!"

Judy finally drove up. "What seems to be the problem?"

"These carolers won't leave! They want some figgy pudding! What the hell is that?!"

"Let me look it up." Judy got out her smart phone and zoogled "figgy pudding".

"It's an old, English recipe. Let me see..dried raisins or plums...flour...cinnamon...Oooh! Brandy!...Raw beef or mutton fat?!"

"That's disgusting!" Shouted the zebra.

The carolers had changed their minds.

" _On second thought, don't bother."_

" _On second thought, don't bother."_

" _On second thought, don't bother."_

" _We'll leave right now!"_

"See that you do!" Judy replies.

The zebra shakes her paw. "Thank you officer Judy! Man, that figgy pudding sounds gross."

"No kidding." She then got another call on the CB. _"All officers respond! A street brawl is blocking traffic on the corner of Egg and Nog!"_

Judy let out a sigh. "I'm close by. I'll check it out."

Moments later, she sees two rams butting each others horns in the middle of the street. Cars are honking at them from all sides.

"You're such a butthead!" One ram says while slamming his head into the other ram.

"No! You're the butthead, butthead!" Says another ram who does the same.

Judy gets in the middle of them and uses her big feet to spread them apart. "Will you two buttheads quit butting heads!"

The two rams finally calm down. Judy decided to question them. "What's this all about, anyway?"

"I traded in my X-Bucks One to get this jerk a copy of 'Titanfawn 2' for his Pawstation 4 only for him to sell his system!"

"And I got him a copy of 'Deers of War 4' for X-Bucks One, only him him to sell his system! Now neither of us having a game system to play our games on and it's all his fault!"

"No! It's your fault! Butthead!" The two rams started ramming each others heads again.

Judy shoved them apart once more. "Wait fellas! Wait! Don't you see the beautiful tragedy in this? You each sacrificed something you love to give a Kitsmas gift to someone you love even more! It's not the gift itself, but the thought and sacrifice that went into it that counts. In the end, it's neither one's fault!"

"The rams bowed their heads in shame. "You're right officer. It's not our faults...it's GameSwaps!"

"Yeah!" Said the other ram. "Their trade-in values are insulting! Let's go demand our systems back!"

"Lead the way butthead!"

Judy let out a big sigh. She turned around to see two little girls had come up to her. They were a fawn and hippo that she'd seen around before.

"Merry Kitsmas officer Hopps!" The children said together.

Judy smiled. "Well Merry Kitsmas to both of you. Have you had a good Kitsmas?"

"Oh yes!" Said the fawn. "It's been real interesting! I saw mommy kissing Santa Paws! Underneath the mistletoe last night!"

"Oh!" Judy said. "Tee-Hee! Just like the song!"

"Then I saw daddy chasing Santa Paws with a butcher knife screaming 'Get the hell off my wife you son of a roach or I'll chop your #$% off!' Santa Paws left screaming with his pants around his ankles! Miss Hopps, does that mean Santa Paws isn't gonna visit my house anymore?"

Judy grimaced at this awkward moment. "Ummm...that probably wasn't the real Santa Paws. There's a Mrs. Paws so I doubt Santa would ever try to kiss your mommy like that."

"I think you're right!" Said the cheerful fawn. "Thanks Miss Hopps!"

Judy turned her attention to the hippo girl. "And how did your Kitsmas go?"

"I wanted a hippopotamus for Kitsmas and I got one! My mommy gave birth to my baby brother last night!"

Judy laughed. "That's just like the song too!"

"Only a hippopotamus will do!"

"...Yeeeah! Right."

"No crocodiles, or rhinocerosuses.."

"Yeah. I got it."

"I only like... hippopotamususes."

"Okay little gi-"

"Because us hippopotamususes are the master species of this world and we shall rise up and take our rightful spot as the leaders of this nation! You filthy fur-barren mammals shall be our slaves!"

Judy couldn't have felt more awkward. "Ummm...okay! Y'know what? I'm gonna go now. Thanks for chatting with me. Merry Kitsmas you two!"

"Merry Kitsmas Officer Hopps!"

"Heil Hippo!"

 **5:30pm Judy's Apartment**

Judy got home from her long day at work. She was tired, but excited. She was going through her wardrobe in her tiny closet. "Hmmmm maybe this one. Want to appear formal, but not flirty."

"GO WITH THE BLACK GOWN!" Shouted Bucky from the next apartment.

"Do you have x-ray vision or something?!"

"WE'RE INCREDIBLY NOSEY!" shouted Pronk.

"I'm going out to dinner with a friend, but I'm sure if it's a date or not. It's just...I don't want to seem like I'm interested if he's not interested."

"ARE YOU INTERESTED?!"

"Th-That's none of your business!"

"THEN DON'T ASK FOR OUR OPINION!"

Judy sighed and whispered under her breath. "Why on earth did I ever move back to this apartment?"

"BECAUSE YOU LOVE US!"

 **7:15pm The Herbivore Eatery**

Judy was looking bored and impatient. She wore the black gown that Bucky suggested and was waiting for Nick to arrive. He was already fifteen minutes late and Judy was getting upset. She decided to text him on her phone.

" _Where are you?"_ She tapped out on her phone.

" _Sorry, your Kitmas present is taking a while to arrive."_ He replied back.

" _Please hurry."_ She responded. _"I'll be glad when you're my partner. I missed you today."_

" _Well, you're going to miss me tonight as well. Your present is coming soon, but I won't be there."_

"WHAT?!" Judy shouted so loud it scared the waiters. It wasn't a big deal since the restaurant was mostly empty for some reason. _"Why?!"_ She typed back.

" _You'll see. Here they come!"_

"They?" Judy wondered. Then her ears perked up and her eyes bulged out of her skull. She could hear them coming from around the corner. That sound. That wonderful, wonderful sound.

"You sure this is the right place Bon-Bon?" Stu asked.

"Yes Stu. This is the exact direction that Nick fella gave us."

Judy jumped out her table and ran to the front of the restaurant where they were coming in. She latched onto her parents with tears running unashamedly down her eyes. "MOM! DAD! I can't believe you're here!"

"Merry Kitsmas pumpkin!" Stu replied. "This was your friend Nick's idea. We're your Kitsmas gift!"

Judy couldn't stopped sobbing. "This is the most wonderful Kitsmas present I could have gotten! There's so many of you here! Jamie! Joey! Jerry! Jenny... Jimmy!" She did a little sign language with her deaf brother telling him how happy she was to see him.

Stu started to walk in. "Well Jude the dude, let's get inside, we got a reservation for a party of fifty."

"So that's why the place is so empty!" Judy replied. "You have NO idea how happy I am to see you all!"

"Well, as long as you live in the city, we'll make this a Kitsmas tradition." Bonnie replied.

"I'd love that." Judy replied back, wiping a few tears.

Judy followed behind the rest. As they were going in, she got another text from Nick.

" _I hope you like my Kitsmas present. It can't be bought in a store, or tied up with a bow, but family is the greatest gift one can receive. I'll see you at graduation. Merry Kitsmas."_

Judy turned around to see Nick across the street. He waved to her as he jumped onto the back of a streetcar and disappeared into the night.

Judy watched him leave as she wiped away a tear. "Sly fox."

 **THE END**

Stay tuned for story notes and some epilogue scenes.


	11. Author Notes, Epilogues and a Bonus

**After Story Thoughts and Epilogues**

" _So what's Kitsmas anyway? Why not just call it Christmas?"_

My take on Zootopia has the characters having different religions depending on species. In this case, "Kitmas" is very similar to Christmas, only the holiday is more focused on kits and cubs, but adults still exchange gifts as well. Also, it's a non-religious winter solstice that everyone can enjoy (as the real Christmas SHOULD be IMO.)

I've had parts of this story running through my head since August, but it really didn't start to flesh out until I started writing it down. It was supposed to be quite a bit shorter and Nick being related to Robin Hood was supposed to play a much stronger role than it actually did. I realized about halfway through that it didn't really add much to the story, so having Nick miss with the bow and arrow and having Robin Hood insult him in the process was a funny way of ending that arc.

I knew the biggest problem I would have with the story was Judy actually agreeing to go along with the heist since she's a very law-abiding officer, so I knew her having a lot of inner-conflict was important. It took some convincing on Nick's part, but I think it's also Judy's trust in him that made her finally agree to do it.

While I really liked the idea of Duke and Finnick teaming up, it took away from Finnick's tragic back-story in my own stories so I had to break them up. Since my back-stories had Finnick and Honey as an item, I was at least able to give him a happy ending in this story even if his happiness ends up short-lived.

The original climax was the car chase. The problem was that then I had a lot of fluff and character arcs I had to finish before the ending. With that in mind, I brought back Tiberius Khan for one more dramatic climax before the heartwarming ending.

Gary and Larry were fun to write. They originally had a very short role, but I liked their dynamic with Gary being the dumb(er) one and Larry being the gay, silly one. It came mostly from fandom constantly making the pair a gay couple. I wanted them to be friends, but decided to meet the fanservice halfway. I was very careful not to make Larry's gay flirtations be a negative aspect to his character or to make Gary look homophobic. That's why the scene where Wolford talks to them was important to me so it helped them understand one another better.

The one big plot hole in my story that I didn't realize until later is why the news reporter didn't question why they drove through the tree lighting ceremony and who was chasing them in the first place. I have a few mistakes I have to fix right now as well. Including originally calling the toy drive "Toys for Kits", then changing it to "Toys for Cubs", Gary and Larry got mixed a little during their song and I misspelled Khan as Kahn more times than I can count. And this is coming from someone who proof reads his chapters twice before publishing!

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this story. I'd put it just below "A Hole in The Wall" as far as my own stories go. For those following my other stories, "Cheetah on Patrol" will be back very soon with a new chapter. Until then, enjoy these epilogues!

 **December 28th 12:15pm at Khan Towers in Cape Suzette**

Tiberius Khan looked out the same window he had threatened his doe secretary earlier this week. She was there as well going over some plans with her tablet and she seemed to have a different tone about her. Khan was admiring the view of the ocean from the window when his son, Shere Khan the Third came in with a smug look on his face.

"So father, it seems the ZPD have some dirt on you that they can release at any time!"

"Relax Shere, if they do I can press charges on their most decorated officer. They won't risk losing her."

"Your patient attitude is a joke! You had them in an office all to yourself and you didn't maul them?! If it was up to me, I'd have.."

Tiberius grabbed his son and tossed him right through the window. Shattering the window as his son fell 80 feet into the icy waters below.

Shere screamed. "AAAAAHHHH!"

Tiberius looked over at his secretary who did not look too surprised. "Don't worry Miss Cervidae, he'll live...probably. He's an excellent swimmer. Please order me a new window will you?"

"Already done sir." The doe stated. "Also, I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of having some of your men look into where the Cunningham's were hibernating and we have eliminated the list of possible locations from twenty to eight."

Tiberius' ears perked up and a smile grew across his face. "Why Miss Cervidae! What a delightful surprise!"

She smiled back. "I find the best way to survive in this cut-throat business world is to be a team player."

"Indeed it is!" Kahn replied. "Indeed it is."

" _And I like to keep my enemies close to me."_ The doe thought.

 **TO BE CONTINUED (MAYBE) IN A FEW MONTHS IN "ZOOTOPIA/TALE SPIN: HONEYMOON IN CAPE SUZETTE"**

 **Five Months later at the ZPD Academy...**

Major Freidkin had grabbed Gary and Larry in each one of her paws and was throwing them out of the ZPD academy. She tossed them high and they landed on their butts out on the street.

"Get out and stay out! You two are the worst recruits we've ever had!"

Gary got up and brushed himself off and then helped Larry up.

"Thanks dad." Larry replied.

"Knock that off already!" Gary shouted.

"Well, you're marrying my mom so technically, you will be my dad."

" _Step_ -dad! Yeah...it's weird to even think about. I'm only a year older than you!"

Larry's ears bobbed down in fear. "I'm worried Gary! What are we gonna do now?!"

"We'll find a job buddy. Don't worry, we'll think of something."

"We better! Mom's stick turned blue. You know what that means right?"

" _GASP!_ She's part smurf?!"

Larry slapped Gary over the head. "It means she's pregnant you idiot! You're gonna be a father and I'm gonna be a big brother!"

Gary rubbed his own muzzle. "Okay, NOW I'm worried!"

Just then, a gust of wind slapped a newspaper onto Gary's face. His eyes immediately hit on an ad. "What's this?! WOW! Larry! Look at this! _'Wanted: Two security guards needed for overnight shift at children's restaurant during closed hours. No experience necessary.'_ CLOSED HOURS! What an easy gig! Larry! We gotta apply!"

Larry was happy. "Sounds great Gary! What's the name of the place?"

Gary looked over the ad. " It says _'Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.'_ "

"Sounds like fun!" Larry said. "Easy money, here we come!"

 **Bonus: Full version of "Tarred and Feathered"**

 _Just hear those hand-cuffs chinkling! Clink! Clink! Clinking too!_

 _C'mon, it's lovely weather to be tarred and feathered with youuuu!_

 _Outside the crowds are forming and people shouting "BOOOOO!"_

 _C'mon, it's lovely weather to be tarred and feathered with youuuu!_

 _Hurry up, hurry up hurry up! Let's Go!_

 _Look at all this dough!_

 _We made our fortune, now it's time to blow!_

 _Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up! Ten Grand.._

 _...In the palm of our hands_

 _But now, we better make our leave, cuz I'm hearing police sirens!_

 _Our cell doors went slammy and cold and clammy are we._

 _But with good behavior, we'll be out in four months or three._

 _Until then we'll just go and plan a scam or two._

 _Because it's lovely weather to be tarred and feathered with you!_

 _Well we should'na got involved with that money scam!_

 _Now we're running for our lives and we are on the lam!_

 _We sold everyone a snake oil that gave them all the hives..._

 _Now the darn cops are after us and we're running for our lives!_

 _This was a big disaster and running faster are we._

 _Let's take our sack of money and try to hide and flee._

 _It was all for naught, cause we got caught! Aww poo!_

 _Oh well, it's lovely weather to be tarred and feathered with youuuu!_


End file.
